Dr. Robert Mensah-Biney

Class of 68, Ramseyer House's Dr. Robert K. Mensah-Biney has had over twenty years of diverse experience in mineral and chemical industry research and development in USA, two years in plant operations in Africa and two years teaching at the university in Ghana. His special expertise is in gold-silver process metallurgy. He is experienced in uranium process development, beneficiation of industrial minerals, general hydrometallurgical processing for the recovery of minerals, harzadous waste treatment and management including soil remediation and recovery of heavy metals from industrial wastewater. He owns the patent in USA for the use of aqueous biphase extraction for the processing of ultrafine particles.

DETAILED PROFILE OF DR. ROBERT MENSAH-BINEY

EDUCATION:

Ph.D (Mineral Engineering), 1991
University of Minnesota,
Minneapolis, MN

MS (Mineral Engineering), 1976
Columbia University,
New York, NY.

A.C.S.M (Mineral Engineering), 1972. C. Eng.
Camborne School of Mines,
Camborne, England.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

Dr. Mensah-Biney is presently a Senior Process Engineer at North Carolina State University, Minerals Research Laboratory, where he is involved with laboratory and pilot plant research and development for the beneficiation of industrial minerals including projects on high purity quartz, silica sand, calcium carbonate, feldspar, phosphate, kaolin, mica, and talc processing.

From 1991 to 1993 he worked at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois as Assistant Metallurgical Engineer. At Argonne, he used mineral processing and extractive metallurgical techniques for the treatment and management of hazardous solid waste including radionuclides. He applied same technology for the processing of ultrafine clay particles to separate kaolin from silica and received a Patent in U.S.A. for the use of aqueous biphase extraction for the processing of ultrafine particles.

From 1986 to 1991 he was at University of Minnesota, Minerals Resources Research Center as a Research Associate. He was involved in research and development of novel processes for the recovery of gold from refractory ores including sulfides and carbonaceous ores with preg robbing properties. His research interest included electrooxidation, resin-in-pulp, carbon-in-pulp, roasting, and bromide oxidation. He also evaluated the use of alternate lixiviants for the recovery of gold including thiourea and bromine and designed an analytical procedure for the analysis of gold in thiourea solutions using flame AAS and stabilization of gold-thiourea solutions using cysteine.

Dr. Mensah-Biney began his professional career in USA in 1976 with Hazen Research Inc, Golden, Colorado as a Project Engineer. His duties included the design of laboratory bench-scale tests and direction of technicians for the performance of these tests. Some of these bench-scale tests were followed by continuous pilot plant tests to scale up the processes. He spent almost ten years with Hazen until 1986 when he returned to the University of Minnesota to complete his doctorate degree.

In 1979, he returned to the University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana as a Lecturer in Metallurgical Engineering where he taught courses in Metallurgical Engineering to junior and senior students of the Department of Mineral Engineering and acted as the Head of the Metallurgical Engineering Department. His consulting work for the State Gold Mining Corporation during that period led to the rehabilitation of the Konongo Gold Mines. He returned to his former employer in USA, Hazen Research, Inc., in January of 1981.

From 1972 to 1974 he was employed as Mining/Metallurgical Assistant at Ashanti Goldfields Ltd. Obuasi, Ghana, where he was involved in metallurgical research in a gold reduction plant including flotation of sulfide ores, roasting, cyanide leach, and gravity concentration. He was also responsible for testing and trial of new equipment for the reduction plant.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:

Member, Society of Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. (SME).

• He is actively involved with SME and is currently the Chairman of the Carolinas Section SME (North Carolina and South Carolina)

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PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:

He has published more than fifteen technical papers in peer-reviewed magazines and made several presentations at technical and professional meetings in USA.