Incorporation of Co into synthetic Fe oxyhydroxide systems - Implications for Natural Systems

This project is jointly supervised by staff at Loughborough University and the Natural History Museum. It will focus on synthesising and characterising iron oxyhydroxide phases, such as goethite and ferrihydrite, and the incorporation of Co into these systems. The programme of research will investigate the effects of pH, time, Co starting reagent, concentration of base and temperature on the phase or phases produced. Additionally, real-time dynamic studies will be carried out to investigate the transformation pathways of the synthesised phases with respect to temperature.

A mutli-technique approach to characterization of these phases and their transformations will be carried out using in-house equipment (X-ray diffraction, IR Spectroscopy, Raman Spectroscopy, Thermogravimetric Analysis and Transmission Electron Microscopy) as well as synchrotron spectroscopy and diffraction on beamlines at Diamond Light Source. To complete the time resolved studies, a reaction cell will be developed by the student for use at the X-ray diffraction laboratories housed at the NHM.

This studentship is part of a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funded consortium grant; "CoG3: The geology, geometallurgy and geomicrobiology of cobalt resources leading to new product streams". Cobalt has been defined by NERC as an E-tech element that is essential for a technologically advanced and low carbon society. The principal aim of the CoG3 consortium is to understand the natural behaviour and biogeochemistry of cobalt in order to develop and apply novel bioprocessing strategies for cobalt extraction, recovery and the synthesis of targeted products using an integrated multi-institute and multidisciplinary approach. The consortium is a cross-discipline group of scientists, consisting of 8 academic institutes and supported by industrial partners from the mining and mineral processing sectors, and by the Cobalt Development Institute.

This project has already built a consortium of unrivalled depth and breadth with the skillset needed to deliver evidence for the decision-making needed to secure the supply of cobalt for the 21st century and beyond. The project will deliver a range of answers to the key science questions that delay such security, delivering a range of tools that can be applied to the identification and definition of new cobalt resources and the application of novel and benign bioprocessing options to the extraction and recovery of cobalt from a range of mineralization types found in Europe and elsewhere in the world.
This project has the ambitious plans of providing (i) New geological and mineralogical knowledge from existing and potential deposits of cobalt that will underpin new, more efficient exploration and mining activities (ii) A clearer understanding of the natural biochemical cycle of cobalt better defining the pathways that make and break cobalt-bearing compounds in natural systems (iii) An assessment of a range of bioprocessing pathways, at a range of scales, in both reduced and oxidized ore systems, targeted towards more benign biorecovery methods for cobalt (iv) Insights into new methods capable of (bio)engineering compounds for use by the broader the downstream cobalt user community.
The project will provide new knowledge relevant to both UK and international researchers as well as cobalt producing companies and end users of specific cobalt products. The research is also relevant to an understanding of the geology, mineralogy and biogeochemistry of the terrestrial environment, specifically the processes that underpin the biogeochemical cycling of metals. The project will also lead to cross-disciplinary awareness and will train a cohort of new scientists with skills to take the research further.
Commercial development with one or more industrial partners will lead to obvious economic and societal benefit. In addition, various national environmental agencies could benefit from the results of our study, particularly those concerned with land management. User groups and the public will be engaged through organised workshops as well as specific meetings. The primary mechanism for knowledge exchange with academic colleagues will be publication of papers in international refereed journals and conference presentations. We will also organise symposia through selected learned societies. We will establish a project website that describes the research in accessible terms and project members will be able to add new material to the website on a regular basis. We will specifically engage with the public through the public learning programmes at individual consortium institutions and we will engage with schools targeted at Key Stages 3 and 4, encouraging pupils to engage with research science via direct relationships with individual young researchers in the SoS programme.