Monash Memo - articles - 7 November 2001

[contents] [next article]

Grant winner takes tarnish off gold recovery

Dr Matthew Jeffrey from the Department of Chemical Engineering is proving himself a worthy recipient of a 2001 ARC grant with his ongoing research into a technique that removes cyanide from the gold recovery process.

The technique involves replacing the deadly poison with the non-toxic chemical thiosulfate, which is commonly used as a fixative in photography.

Dr Jeffrey (pictured) was awarded $150,000 for his three-year research project to determine whether thiosulfate could be introduced into existing gold-processing plants or whether they would need to be rebuilt with a non-toxic chemical to recover gold from ore bodies.

With production totalling $4.5 billion in the 2000-2001 fiscal year, gold is one of the country's highest export earners.

Dr Jeffrey, who is conducting the research with the support of the Australian Research Council and the Australian gold industry, said he was surprised to have received the grant at only 30 years of age, as they were usually awarded to well-established researchers.

"These grants, awarded annually, are recognised as the top grants for Australian scientists and represent the major avenue for funding of research at universities around Australia," he said.

"Being awarded a large ARC grant has enabled me to establish my research on a larger scale and has given me a lot of recognition - something which is hard to gain for young researchers."

The ARC grant also contributed to Dr Jeffrey's nomination in the recent national ScienceNOW! Competition, which involved young scientists speaking to the media and public at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.

Dr Jeffrey said that while the use of cyanide was efficient, most forms were toxic and posed a serious threat to the environment.

"If this research is successful, cyanide spills may become a thing of the past, and the gold industry would become less of a threat to the environment in Australia," he said.