Murdoch University experts specialise in Extractive Metallurgy, a technology that underpins Australia's mineral industry, existing and developing technologies, and are to operate the industrial plants for treating mineral ores to produce metals and mineral products.
Associate Professor Gamini Senanayake is a senior lecturer in Mineral Science at Murdoch University and an expert on the application of ionic activity data and speciation analysis to hydrometallurgical processes and the rationalisation of the thermodynamics and kinetics of the leaching of minerals and recovery of metals.
Associate Professor Senanayake’s project include: Catalysts for reactions of hydrometallurgical importance; high temperature hydrometallurgical thermodynamics; beneficiation and utilisation of red mud residues from alumina processing; mechanisms of gold leaching; ion salvation thermodynamics and applications, and; atmospheric leaching and recovery of metals from nickel laterite ores.
Dr Aleks Nikoloski is an expert in the electrochemistry of leaching and the reduction processes used in the hydrometallurgical treatment of metals and minerals.
He has significant experience in the metallurgical process development using pilot plant scale textwork, and investigates the kinetics and thermodynamics of metallurgical processes for the treatment of non-ferrous metals, in particular nickel, cobalt, copper, gold and the platinum group metals.
Dr Nikoloski teaches extractive metallurgy and supervises postgraduate research students at Murdoch University.