Megan Becker

Senior Research Office

Research Interests

Process mineralogy, geometallurgy, environmental mineralogy


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Qualifications


BSc Hons Geol UCT (2001), MSc Geol UCT (2005), PhD Metall UP (2009)

Background


Megan Becker is a Senior Research Officer leading the process mineralogy initiative in the Centre for Minerals Research in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Cape Town. She has a background in geology (BSc Hons, MSc - University of Cape Town) and a PhD in process mineralogy from the University of Pretoria (2009). Her research interests focus on understanding both the effect mineralogy has on the beneficiation process and the effect of the beneficiation process on the mineralogy, and how one can best use mineralogy information. She has a keen interest in teaching mineralogy and in mineralogical analysis techniques, and currently manages the QEMSCAN facility in the CMR. She has supervised close to 20 postgraduate students and has over 50 peer reviewed publications in international journals and conference proceedings in the area of minerals beneficiation (including comminution, flotation, hydrometallurgy and environmental aspects such as acid rock drainage).

Employment


2012-present

Senior Research Officer, Centre for Minerals Research, Dept of Chemical Engineering 2006-2011 Research Officer, Centre for Minerals Research, Dept of Chemical Engineering 2005-2006 Research Assistant, Minerals Processing Research Unit, Dept of Chemical Engineering

Selected current projects


Mineralogy and supergene enrichment – Cu and PGE ores

Using mineralogy to predict ARD

Using XCT for quantifying ores – drill core and coarse particles

Development of an integrated framework underpinned by mineralogy

Selected publications


Becker, M., de Villiers, J., Bradshaw, D., 2010. The mineralogy and crystallography of pyrrhotite from selected nickel and PGE ore deposits. Econ. Geol. 105, 1025–1037.

Becker, M., de Villiers, J., Bradshaw, D., 2010. The flotation of magnetic and non-magnetic pyrrhotite from selected nickel ore deposits. Miner. Eng. 23, 1045–1052.

Becker, M., Harris, P.J., Wiese, J.G., Bradshaw, D.J., 2009. Mineralogical characterisation of naturally floatable gangue in Merensky reef ore flotation. Int. J. Miner. Process. 93, 246–255.

Little, L., Mainza, A.N., Wiese, J.G., Becker, M., 2016. Using mineralogical and particle shape analysis to investigate enhanced mineral liberation through phase boundary fracture. Powder Technol. 301, 794–804. doi:10.1016/j.powtec.2016.06.052

Ghorbani, Y., Becker, M., Petersen, J., Morar, S.H., Mainza, A., Franzidis, J.P., 2011b. Use of X-ray computed tomography to investigate crack distribution and mineral dissemination in sphalerite ore particles. Miner. Eng. 24, 1249–1257.

Ndlovu, B., Forbes, E., Farrokhpay, S., Becker, M., Bradshaw, D., Deglon, D., 2014. A preliminary rheological classification of phyllosilicate group minerals. Miner. Eng. 55, 190–200.

Contribution to Minerals to Metals initiative

Given the wide spread application of process mineralogy from ore body knowledge to processing to disposal: my contribution to the Minerals to Metals Initiative is defined by wherever mineralogical knowledge is needed to enhance the understanding of the research, and where incorporating mineralogical measurements will move the project from being fundamental to systemic. Over the last few years I have been actively involved in research projects on rheology and phyllosilicate mineralogy, coarse particle leaching, mineral carbonation and acid rock drainage, geometallurgy, and more recently, to dust and the development of a modelling framework of the minerals value chain underpinned by mineralogy.