Research Programs of the U.S. Bureau of Mines First Assessment, 1994 (1994) / Chapter Skim
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APPENDIX B: REPORT OF THE PANEL ON FACILITIES AND RESEARCH AT THE SALT LAKE CITY RESEARCH CENTER
APPENDIX B: REPORT OF THE PANEL ON FACILITIES AND RESEARCH AT THE SALT LAKE CITY RESEARCH CENTER
Pages 70-88
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From page 70... ...
The experience and background skills of the staff seemed generally suited to the center's research program and reflected a careful hiring program by the current director over the past dozen or so years. The budget for FYI994 was $7,200,000 (including some external The full committee and staff served as the evaluation panel for the Salt Lake City Research Center.
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From page 71... ...
In its "Reinventing the USBM" program review document, the bureau proposes to make five "centers of excellence" from the existing research centers and field offices. The pane} was told that SERC will be the center for pollution prevention and control, with the Reno Research Center (RERC)
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From page 72... ...
researchers; individual researchers commonly work on more than one project during any year. Control of Mine Drainage and Liquid Wastes BichydrometaZlurgical Decontamination of Mining arm Mining Wastes This project focuses on developing new biohydrometallurgical techniques to detoxify large volumes of mining and milling wastes containing heavy metals and process chemicals in dilute solution.
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From page 73... ...
Biohydrometallurgical Decontamination of Mining and Milling Wastes Immobilized Extractant Technology for Waste Water Treatment Microbial and Chemical Arsenic Removal from Wastes Predictive Chemical Mode} for Acid Mine Drainagea Cooperative Remediation Projects ($450,000; 2.7 FTEs~b; Midnite Mine: Bioremediation Midnite Mine: Rock Reactivity Technical Assistance on Federal Lands Army Corps of Engineers: Removal of TNT from Contaminated Soils Army Corps of Engineers: Characterization and Treatment of Contaminated Soils Hazardous Waste ($358,000; 2.l FTEs) Chicago River Sediments and Remediation Solid Waste Management and Subsidence ($689,000; 5.
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From page 74... ...
for Acid Mine Drainage This project is developing a geochemical mode} to predict the potential for acid mine drainage from waste rock using information collected during exploration and development. Predictive models, which could accurately assess the potential for acid mine drainage based on minimal characterization of materials during exploration and mining, are urgently needed by the mining industry.
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From page 75... ...
Whether the SERC and the University of Utah can make a significant contribution in this important area is, in the opinion of the panel, still to be determined. Cooperative Remediation Projects Midnite Mine: Bioremediation The purpose of this project is to test and evaluate biological transformations in treating impounded water (containing soluble uranium)
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From page 76... ...
Hazardous Wastes Chicago River Sediments arm Remediation As part of a congressional initiative, the Chicago River Sediments Project has evaluated the potential for metal bioavailability and options for organic contaminant remediation in an urban river environment. The USBM staff demonstrated a good understanding of the chemical processes governing metal mobility and bioavailability, although the addition of an environmental engineer would be useful to the staff.
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From page 77... ...
Nevertheless, simple economic impact expectations can and should be routinely set forth in advance. These could be used to establish preliminary targets, to assist in screening by bureau personne} and potential customers in industry, and to evaluate proposals on a basis other than technological attractiveness.
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From page 78... ...
is about $260,000 for FYI994; over the average term of a project of four years, the total budget of a typical research project is on the order of $! million for the clean processing and control technology categories, and about
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From page 79... ...
The Salt Lake City Research Center has a healthy mix of employees in terms of General Schedule (GS) grades; the range (Figure B.2)
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From page 80... ...
= b ~ 7 9 GS Level 11 13 15 Figure B.2 Distribution of general service grades of SERC employees. TABLE B.3 Disciplinary Background of SI-RC Employees Number Technical Staff Metallurgist Chemical Engineer Chemist Biologist Geologist Electrical Engineer Support Staff (includes technicians and tradesmen)
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From page 81... ...
No cooper has actually been produced yet rat -= rip J or -- - -or -- ~ ~ 2Albert Raihl, metallurgical engineer, ASARCO, Tucson, AZ; Noel Kirschenbaum, manager of mineral project development, metallurgist, Placer Dome, San Francisco, CA; Richard folk, metallurgist and environmental engineer, Fluor, Denver, CO (formerly USMX) ; Preston Chiaro, vice president of technical services, Kennecott Utah Copper, Salt Lal~e City, UT (formerly EBASCO)
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From page 82... ...
Considerable discussion took place on useful and appropriate roles for industry in helping formulate the research program of the bureau. One obvious but not simple role is to help set strategic directions without interfering with individual project selection.
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From page 83... ...
USBM TT today focuses on research programs beyond the traditional metallurgical research results, including process control improvements, materials research, and assistance with data gathering needed for environmental permits. The horizontally integrated TT works only if built on trust between the parties involved because release of information meant to be communicated in confidence can have serious negative
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From page 84... ...
directly involving the patent developer of an interesting battery recovery process with the broad audience involved in meetings for the Car of the Future may decrease some of the lack of engagement between the Washington TT staff and the individual researcher in the field. Even with these caveats, among the bureau centers, the SERC has an excellent track record in TT for the vertically integrated program.
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From page 85... ...
It is perhaps noteworthy that the reputation of the bureau is judged kindly outside North America on the basis of such publications. The pane} believes that the bureau should strive to increase the number of publications by its staff in the permanent engineering and scientific literature (Bureau Reports of Investigations and Bureau preformation Circulars do not seem to
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From page 86... ...
With approximately 42 % of these employees at the full performance level of GS-12 or above, the overall research publication productivity of the group is 0.66 publications per senior-level person per year. This includes all types of publications, from bureau Reports of Investigations, Information Circulars, Technology News, and open-file reports to articles in peer-reviewed journals, symposium proceedings, and other parts of the gray literature.
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From page 87... ...
researchers. Project Selection The bureau has a formal research project selection process that includes solicitation of "miniproposals," which are evaluated to determine those to be developed into more elaborate full-scale proposals, from which the final selections are made.
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From page 88... ...
The Washington office staff engineers and division chiefs are responsible for the bureau's long-term planning activities and, ultimately, for research project selection and management. There appeared to be some confusion on the part of the researchers preparing miniproposals as to the strategic guidance that these long-range plans provide and the role of the staff engineers of the Washington office.
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