The Minerals Engineering Centre was established by the Technical University of Nova Scotia (TUNS) in 1986 from the Committee for the Laboratory Investigation of Minerals (C.L.I.M.). C.L.I.M. was established by the Province of Nova Scotia in 1965. The Centre is located in the G.H. Murray Building, Sexton Campus of Dalhousie University and is closely affiliated with the Materials Engineering Programme.
The Centre provides research, analytical and advisory services to industries, universities and government bodies in Atlantic Canada, as well as in other parts of Canada and internationally.
The services offered include sample preparation, dense liquid separation, thin section preparation and a well-equipped physical and analytical laboratory for the analysis of major and trace elements of samples including geological, metalliferous ores, industrial minerals, coals, soils, metals, alloys, waters, solutions and organic material. The laboratory emphasizes quality control in all analyses and routinely uses reference materials obtained from CANMET, U.S. Geological Survey and National Research Council materials from the United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey and National Research Council of Canada.
The other services offered include mineral processing test work covering the whole range of investigative techniques, from bench scale to pilot plant, including crushing, grinding, classification, gravity separation, dense medium separation, magnetic separation, electrostatic separations, flotation, cyanidation, floccolation, thickening, filtration and drying.
The gold ore testing facility installed a few years ago, which was funded by the Federal Government, uses an environmentally-friendly and cost saving technology known as in-vat gold leaching. It has been used successfully on ores from Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, USA, Uruguay and Niger. The facility has attracted government sponsored delegations and industrial officials from Venezuela, Niger, Malaysia and Australia.
Over the years, staff of the Centre have been involved in mill start ups. In recent years, our employees were involved with private industry working in Niger. This work involved setting up a gold testing laboratory, pilot plant and training people to operate these facilities.
Georges J. Kipouros, Dipl.Eng, M.A.Sc., Ph.D., P.Eng.
Phone: 902-494-6100
Fax: 902-494-3506
Email: Georges.Kipouros@Dal.Ca