Bugemet Phd Project

Title : Understanding spatial variations of the platinum group minerals in PGE reefs of the Eastern Bushveld Complex.

Industry Partner : Ruwayne Jooste (African Rainbow Minerals).

We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated researcher to undertake a PhD project on the spatial distribution of PGEs in the platinum reefs of the Eastern Bushveld Complex, South Africa. Ideally, the candidate should have a background in geoscience / mineralogy and a strong interest in economic geology, igneous petrology, geochemistry, and process mineralogy. The candidate will be based in the School of Geosciences at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg, South Africa and will join a vibrant cohort of existing MSc, PhD, and Postdoctoral Fellow researchers and a diverse research group with leading experts on the Bushveld Complex and professionals in the mining industry.

The Bushveld Complex hosts the largest resource of platinum-group elements (PGE), chromium, and vanadium on Earth, alongside significant copper and nickel. Many of these elements are considered “critical” or “battery” metals. As such, mining of the Bushveld will be vital in achieving a transition to a green society. Effective rates of extraction of these resources are becoming increasingly difficult and therefore, research into these deposits is critical to help build better geometallurgical models to allow for more efficient and sustainable mining practices. This research will also help develop understanding of ore forming processes within the Bushveld Complex, for which there is no consensus.

Project aims :

This research project is aimed at understanding the spatial variations of PGEs in reefs that are being mined on the Eastern Limb of the Bushveld Complex. This project will provide unprecedented access to drill holes, mineralogy, geochemistry, and other data provided by the partnering PGE mining companies. The project will include extensive mineralogical work using optical microscopy, automated mineralogy, and mineral chemistry to understand the variations in platinum group elements / minerals across the reefs. Using machine learning techniques, we aim to integrate these data sets to develop predictive geometallurgical models to improve mining and beneficiation. This research will also provide valuable petrological insights into the formation of these reefs and develop our understanding of stratiform PGE reef deposits.

• What is the spatial and mineralogical variation and distribution of PGEs within the platinum reefs of the Eastern Bushveld Complex?
• What can the platinum group minerals tell us about the petrogenetic history of the PGE mineralisation?
• Can the distribution of the PGEs be predicted along and across the reefs?
• Relate systematic variations in mineralogy and geochemistry to geological processes.
• Develop mineralogical and geochemical parameters to inform geometallurgical model to improve mining and beneficiation of Bushveld ores.

Through this project, there may be an opportunity to go underground at some of these active mines to geochemically sample and map these reefs. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work with industry partners through fieldwork, reporting, meetings, and collaborative research. The candidate will also have an opportunity to present their research at local / international geological conferences.

This is a 3-year fully-funded research project through the BUGEMET chair, and includes a stipend (R299 000 per annum), and a R60 000 research grant for the project. Travel expenses to SA will be covered by BUGEMET. Registration fee and medical insurance in SA will be covered by research costs for the entire duration of the project.

Facilities :

The candidate will have access to the analytical facilities at Wits University, which is a leader in applied research and training of graduates in the mineral resources sector. The analytical facilities host petrographic and geochemical instrumentation / laboratories including full section scanning microscopes, automated scanning electron microscopes (TIMA), Electron Probe Microanalyser (EPMA), quadrupole ICPMS, and a LA-SF-ICPMS for U-Pb. Wits Geosciences also hosts Africa’s only multidisciplinary isotope facility that includes an ultraclean, metal-free laboratory, a collision cell MC-SF-ICPMS, and a thermal ionization mass spectrometer. There is also access to the only virtual SIMS laboratory in Africa, in collaboration with the Helmholtz GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ) in Potsdam, Germany. Along with this geochemical equipment, the school has field-based structural and geophysical equipment including magnetometers, a gravimeter, resistivity and seismic arrays, several drones, a variety of geophysical and 3D modelling software systems, mapping tablets, GPS instruments, and core-logging facilities.