Donating a “Spark” to Colorado School of Mines

Camille Fleuriault,Gopher Resource Senior R&D Engineer; Professor Pat Taylor, Director of Kroll Institute for Extractive Metallurgy; Evody Karumb, PhD Candidate; Joe Grogan, Gopher Resource VP of R&D 

Spark-OES Instrument Will Advance Closed-Loop System Research for Industrial Processes

Gopher Resource is always striving to achieve the most efficient means of recycling lead batteries. That effort includes collaborating with top universities on the most current research and development in recycling technology.

To further support that mission, Gopher Resource recently donated a spark optical emission spectrometer – known as a spark-OES – to the Colorado School of Mines (or “Mines”). Spark-OES is the preferred technique for evaluating lead and lead alloys for quality control and production. With so much lead coming from recycled sources (over 80 percent of a new lead battery is comprised of recycled materials), the spark-OES will improve methods to produce purer lead alloys.

Mines was a natural fit to receive the spark-OES. Gopher Resource has a membership with the Center for Resource, Recovery and Recycling (CR³). The cooperative research center unites over 15 industry leaders and four of the world’s leading universities – including Mines – in materials engineering. The Center’s ongoing goal is to creative a closed loop system for industrial processes that mimics the efficiencies found in nature.

Since 2009, the Center has sponsored over 30 research projects focusing on solutions for metal sorting and recycling, energy efficiency, by-product valorization, and waste minimization.

Gopher Resource is proud to support the best thinking in advancing sustainable processes for our industry!

Learn more about CR³ here.