6th Intl. Symp. on Sustainable Mining and Smelting

Bio | CV | Publications

This symposium is to honor of Dr. Krishna Parameswaran, a dedicated metallurgist by recognizing his contributions to promoting sustainable development in copper mining, mineral and metallurgical processing over a 34-year career in non-ferrous metals production.

Krishna Parameswaran, 73, received a Bachelor of Technology degree in metallurgical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, India in 1968, a Master of Science degree in metallurgical engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1971 and a Doctor of Philosophy in metallurgy from Pennsylvania State University in 1974. He has been a licensed professional engineer in Pennsylvania since 1989.

He is currently President of tfgMM Strategic Consulting located in Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.A. a consulting company focusing on environmental compliance, permitting and sustainable development in the extractive industries, especially metal mining and metal recycling industries. Krishna retired from ASARCO LLC (Asarco) after 34 years of service on March 31, 2015. He joined Asarco, an integrated primary U.S. copper producer, as a Senior Research Engineer in 1981 at Asarco’s Central Research Laboratories in South Plainfield, New Jersey. His most recent position was Director of Environmental Services and Compliance Assurance in Asarco’s Environmental Affairs Department in Tucson, Arizona. His responsibilities included oversight of environmental permitting and compliance activities at Asarco’s operating facilities; coordination of environmental activities among the facilities; providing technical support to environmental programs within the operations; developing environmental policy, goals and objectives for the company and operations and ensuring internal consistency within Asarco on environmental issues. In addition, he coordinated the company’s Sustainable Development activities and managed its Environmental Management System (EMS) and compliance auditing programs. He has edited and authored/coauthored chapters in books dealing with sustainability development considerations in mining, innovative mineral and metallurgical process development and marketing and has published a number of papers on sustainability, water and energy use and conservation, resource conservation, reclamation in the arid areas of the southwestern United States and innovative post-mining land uses and the utilization of copper slags and tailings to produce geopolymers as an effective cement substitute. He has made numerous presentations to university students and professional societies on sustainability considerations in mining, innovative reclamation techniques in arid areas, water management in the mining industry and advocated innovative land use, during mining and post-mining, by siting of renewable energy projects on disturbed mine lands.

Prior to joining Asarco, he was a member of professional staff in the Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering Section of Arthur D. Little, Inc., engineering and management consultancy located in Cambridge Massachusetts, USA. He contributed importantly to ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy projects involving process and technology evaluation, process development, energy use and conservation, scrap recycling, solid waste utilization, mathematical modeling, environmental impact analysis and policy analysis.

Parameswaran has been in interested in sustainable development for well over two decades. As Director of Environmental Services and Compliance Assurance at Asarco he advocated for the incorporation of sustainable mining practices throughout the entire production life cycle in the company’s operation. He led the company’s efforts to push for sustainability in the area of reclamation and innovative land use that led to the siting of a 57-MW photovoltaic solar generating facility on retired agricultural land that had been acquired for water rights purposes.

During his tenure at Asarco, he was also a strong proponent of collaboration with stakeholders on sustainability initiatives. For example, he led the development of research partnership with various departments of the University of Arizona and the Pima County Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department. Examples of projects include:

• Utilization of Class A and Class B biosolids in the reclamation of copper mine tailings.
• Evaluation of the efficacy of dust suppressants for copper mine tailings
• Treatment of large volume Mining and smelting wastes to produce geopolymer as a substitute for ordinary Portland cement.

ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS
A round table discussion open to everyone interested will be organized at a specific date and time during the symposium. It will be a platform for high level representatives of various industries, technologies, and academic disciplines to freely discuss and debate all topics of this symposium, and identify positive and efficient pathways towards sustainability in industrial practices, technologies, and research.

You are cordially invited to actively participate in this symposium by submitting and presenting a paper, or by attending the round table. We look forward to meeting you at the Cyprus, October 2019.

CHAIRS

Florian Kongoli
FLOGEN Technologies
Canada

Greg Baiden
Penguin Automated Systems
Canada, [Bio]

Biography of Greg Baiden

X close

Dr. Greg Baiden,
Chairman and Chief Technology Officer of Penguin Automated Systems Inc.
President of MoonRise Inc.
Dr. Greg Baiden is Chairman and Chief Technology Officer of Penguin Automated Systems Inc., a leading research and development company that provides mobile robotic technology solutions for numerous industries. Dr. Baiden is also the Founder and president of MoonRise Inc. a US subsidiary of Penguin Automated Systems Inc. formed to develop the technology and systems to ultimately mine for water resources on the moon and beyond.
Dr. Baiden holds a PhD in Mining Engineering with a speciality in technology and economics and was a Professor at the Laurentian University School of Engineering where he taught Mining and Automation Robotics. In 2001, he was awarded the prestigious Canadian Research Chair in Robotics and Mine Automation. As an international authority in the field of Robotics and Automation, Dr. Baiden is a sought-after consultant, lecturer and speaker and has received numerous awards and distinctions in recognition of his visionary leadership.

www.flogen.org/

David Dzombak
Carnegie Mellon U.(CMU)
USA, [Bio]

Biography of David Dzombak

X close

Dr. Dzombak is the Hamerschlag University Professor and Head of the Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon. The emphasis of his research and teaching is on water
quality engineering, water resource sustainability, and energy-environment- issues. At Carnegie Mellon
he also has served as Associate Dean for Graduate and Faculty Affairs for the College of Engineering
(2006-2010), as Director of the Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research (2007-
2013), and as Interim Vice Provost of Sponsored Programs (November 2012-August 2013).
Dr. Dzombak received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in
1986. He also holds an M.S. in Civil Engineering (1981) and a B.S. in Civil Engineering (1980) from
Carnegie Mellon, and a B.A. in Mathematics from Saint Vincent College (1980). He is a registered
Professional Engineer in Pennsylvania, a Board Certified Environmental Engineer, a Diplomate Water
Resources Engineer, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
Dr. Dzombak's research and professional interests include: aquatic chemistry; fate and transport of
chemicals in water, soil, and sediment; water and wastewater treatment; in situ and ex situ soil and
sediment treatment; industrial waste management; abandoned mine drainage remediation; climate
change adaptation for infrastructure; water resource sustainability; energy and environment; population
and environment; and public communication of environmental engineering and science. He has
published numerous articles in leading environmental engineering and science journals; book chapters;
articles for the popular press; and three books. He also has a wide range of consulting experience.
His professional service activity has included the National Academies Roundtable on Science and
Technology for Sustainability (2013-present); the National Academies Roundtable on Unconventional
Hydrocarbon Development (2015-present); the National Academies Water Science and Technology
Board (2014-present); the ASCE Committee on Education (2018-present); the EPA Science Advisory
Board (2002-2016); the DoD Strategic Environmental Research and Development Science Advisory
Board (2013-2016); Editorial Advisory Board for ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (2012-
2016); Associate Editor of Environmental Science & Technology (2005-2012); Editorial Board of Water
Environment Research (1993-1998) and Ground Water (1991-1993); Chair, Board of Directors, AEESP
Foundation (2012-2014); Board of Directors and Officer (Treasurer) of the Association of
Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (1996-1999); chair of committees for the American
Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists, American Society of Civil Engineers, and Water
Environment Federation; advisory committees for Allegheny County, the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, and numerous universities and organizations.
Dr. Dzombak was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2008. Other recognitions include
election as Fellow of AEESP (2013), the Water Environment Federation (2012), and the American
Society of Civil Engineers (2002); an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Saint Vincent College
(2010); Jack Edward McKee Medal (2000) and the Harrison Prescott Eddy Medal (1993) from the
Water Environment Federation; Aldo Leopold Leadership Program Fellowship from the David and
Lucile Packard Foundation (2000); Distinguished Lecturer Award (2011) and Distinguished Service
Award (1999, 2015) from AEESP; Simon W. Freese Environmental Engineering Award (2014) and
the Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize (1997) from the American Society of Civil
Engineers; and National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award (1991)

www.flogen.org/

Lijie Guo
U. of Toronto
Canada, [Bio]

Biography of Lijie Guo

X close

Lijie Guo is the Deputy Director of the National Centre for International Research on Green Metal Mining (CIRGM), CHINA, and a Professor in Beijing General Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (BGRIMM). He has over 15 years of experience working in the Mining and Metals Industry. He is skilled in Rock Mechanics, Green Metal Mining, Mine Waste Management, and have been actively involved in the mine backfill, mine optimization, material research, and technology transfer. He has made significant contributions in transparent paste fill technique, non-ferrous based binder materials, high density continuous backfilling process, and backfilling classification. He is also an adjunct professor at the Mongolian University of Science and Technology, and a Committee Member of the International Mine Fill Council. He is dedicated to strengthening international green mining initiatives and cooperation.

www.flogen.org/

Lang Liu
XI'AN U. of Science and Technology
China, [Bio]

Biography of Lang Liu

X close

Lang Liu is presently a Professor in Xi’an University of Science and Technology (XUST), and the Director of Functional Backfill Research Centre (FBRC). He was a joint Ph.D. from Central South University (China) & The University of Western Australia (Australia). His research interests include mining backfill, mining waste disposal, and rock mechanics, etc. He has published over 80 journal papers, authorized 25 Patents, and was the 2017 recipient of Outstanding Young Scientific & Technological Talents in the field of mining, petroleum and safety engineering in China. He has accumulated substantial experience in backfill materials developing, backfill system designing.

www.flogen.org/

Mary Poulton
U. of Arizona
USA, [Bio]

Biography of Mary Poulton

X close

Dr. Mary Poulton is Professor Emerita in Mining and Geological Engineering and co-director of the Lowell Institute for Mineral Resources at the University of Arizona. Prior to this she was a University Distinguished Professor. She was the first woman to lead an engineering department in the history of the University of Arizona. Poulton is a co-founder and officer of 3 startup technology companies (NOAH LLC, Desert Saber LLC, and Guia LLC), working in the areas of water management, virtual reality software for safety training, and advanced sensing and communications technology. Dr. Poulton has conducted research on AI and neural networks applied to earth sciences for more than 30 years. Poulton is a distinguished member of SME, a recipient of the 2017 National Engineering Award and the 2019 Daniel Jackling Award.

www.flogen.org/

Ponisseril Somasundaran
Columbia U.
USA, [Bio]

Biography of Ponisseril Somasundaran

X close

Professor Somasundaran received his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. After 5 years with the International Minerals and Chemical Corporation and Reynolds Industries, he joined Columbia University faculty. In 1983 he was invested as the first La von Duddleson Krumb Professor, in 1987 the first Director of the Langmuir Center for Colloids & Interfaces, and in 1998 the Founding Director of the National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Center for Advanced Studies in Novel Surfactants. He was inducted in l985 into the National Academy of Engineering, the highest professional distinction that can be conferred to an engineer at that time, and later to the National Academy of Inventors (2016), Chinese National Academy of Engineering, the Indian National Academy of Engineering, the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and the Balkan Academy of Mineral Technology Sciences. More recently he was the sole Foreign Fellow elected to the Royal Society of Canada in 2010 and was awarded the "Ellis Island Medal of Honor" in 1990. In March 2010, the President of India awarded him the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian honors. He was appointed to the EPA Board of Scientific Councilors in 2014 and chairman of its Chemical Safety and Sustainability committee as well as Hazardous risk committee and reappointed to the Board in December 2017. He has been honored in many countries. He was appointed as an Honorary Professor at the Central University of Technology of China, an Honorary Research Advisor at the Beijing Research Institute of Mining & Metallurgy, Beijing, visiting professor/scientist at the University of Melbourne and at the Indian Institute of Science. His research has been concerned with a wide spectrum of environmental problems including Greener Chemistry, pollution control and remediation, controlled release in personal care, sludge treatment, waste water treatment, and nanotoxicity. He is the author/editor of 15 books and of over 700 scientific publications and patents and editor of Encyclopedia of Surface & Colloid Science and the Honorary Editor-in-chief of the international journal "Colloids and Surfaces". He has served on many professional committees including National Research Council Panels, National Science Foundation, Department of Interior, Department of Energy, National Institute of Dental Research and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Advisory panels. He was the Chairman of the Board of the Engineering Foundation (1993-95).
*Link to NY Times and National Geographic articles: http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/04/20/20greenwire-scientists-brew-green-dispersants-in-gulf-spil-37018.html;http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/04/110405-nsf-oil-somasundaran-video; Also featured in Stephen Hawking’s Brave New World episode on oil spill remediation using microbial biosurfactants

www.flogen.org/