Federal funding launches mineral processing facility
With $3 million in federal funding, the School of Mining Engineering and Mineral Resources initiates Phase 1 of a major plan to boost the state’s mining education-to-workforce pipeline.
New federal funding from a bipartisan spending bill will help initiate a modular, pilot-scale mineral processing facility operated by the University of Arizona School of Mining Engineering and Mineral Resources.
The $3 million in federal funding, which follows $850,000 from the Arizona State Legislature, will support the first phase of MiningWerx, a planned national hub for mining education and research meant to strengthen Arizona’s mining workforce and further secure the nation’s critical minerals supply.
The facility will be part of the San Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory near Sahuarita. Students, faculty, and industry partners at the facility will work with traditional and experimental methods for mineral recovery such as separating materials with heat, hydrometallurgy and advanced sorting methods. U of A is home to the only mining engineering program in the state, making it a natural fit for the facility aimed at advancing mining practices.
"The U of A brings more than 130 years of mining excellence, a holistic research ecosystem, a focus on environmental stewardship and a land-grant mission that drives innovation in a sector vital to the region's economy and to the nation's future,” said Kray Luxbacher, the Gregory H. and Lisa S. Boyce Leadership Chair of Mining and Geological Engineering and executive director of the school.