Materials Science Ph.D. student earns major accolade at International Mineral Processing Congress

A Montana Technological University doctoral student took home a top award at the International Mineral Processing Congress (IMPC 2024) held in Washington, D.C. Sept. 29-Oct. 3. IMPC 2024 drew together approximately 800 of the world’s leading experts in mineral processing including around 120 students from over 50 countries.

IMPC 2024’s goals were to promote, discuss, and reveal the latest advances in mineral processing with a focus on meeting the future needs of the energy transition. Energy supply and demand is undergoing a dramatic transformation with shifts towards renewable and alternative sources of electric power and the electrification of transportation.

Mitchell Harvey (Master of Science Metallurgical & Mineral Processing Engineering, ’23), a Materials Science Ph.D. student from North Little Rock, Arkansas, received the award for Best Technical Paper by an Author younger than 30 in the Innovation, Research, and Development category. His submitted manuscript focused on the selective oxidation of samarium for recycling samarium cobalt permanent magnets. His research focuses on taking scrap magnets, using pyrometallurgical principles to pretreat the magnets, and separating the contents into individual components with mineral processing techniques so that they can be recycled.

In addition to receiving an award for his manuscript, Harvey gave a 20-minute talk on his research at the event. Harvey is advised by Dr. Courtney Young (Lewis S. Prater Distinguished Professor of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering) and Dr. Mario Caccia (assistant professor of ceramic engineering at Alfred University). The three of them have submitted a provisional patent.

 “Mr. Harvey came to Montana Tech to learn mineral processing, which he accomplished by getting his master’s degree following his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Mississippi State. He is now expanding his knowledge to include extractive metallurgy,” Young said. “Furthermore, he is an excellent student: smart, independent, motivated. Those traits are the definition of success.  When he graduates, I truly hope he stays in this industry because we need more like him. He is going to be well sought after and whoever hires him will quickly see what I saw: success in action.”