IMPC Lifetime Achievement Award to Prof. Zhenghe Xu

At last night's International Mineral Processing Congress Gala Dinner in Cape Town, the Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed to Prof. Zhenghe Xu.

Zhenghe with IMPC Chairman Aubrey Mainza and Council President Ralph Holmes

Professor Xu has built an exceptional international career at the forefront of engineering, materials science and sustainable resource processing, with a longstanding and valued association with the University of Alberta, Canada. He joined the University in 1997 and went on to become a leading authority in interfacial science, mineral processing and oil-sands engineering. During his time at Alberta, he held the Canada Research Chair in Mineral Processing and the NSERC-Industry Research Chair in Oil Sands Engineering right after his NSERC-Industry Research Chair in Coal Cleaning and Combustion Technology, developing research that combined fundamental scientific understanding with practical solutions to some of the most challenging issues in resource recovery and environmental sustainability.

Professor Xu’s research has spanned mineral flotation, oil-sands extraction, colloids and surface forces, petroleum emulsions, tailings management, wastewater treatment, and the recycling of spent batteries and electronics materials. His work has resulted in more than 550 peer-reviewed scientific journal publications with numerous patents, books and book chapters, and has influenced both academic research and industrial practice.

His achievements have been recognised with many of the highest honours in Canadian engineering and science. He was elected a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2008, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2015 and an International Member of Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2021, and has received numerous awards for research excellence, industrial practice and sustainable development, including 2024 Antoine M. Gaudin Award, MetSoc Airey Award, ASTech Leadership Foundation Award, MetSoc Award for Research Excellence, Syncrude Award for Excellence in Sustainable Development and APEGA Frank Spragins Technical Award.

In August 2016, Professor Xu joined Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, China as a Chair Professor and Founding Dean of its College of Engineering, extending his influence into a new generation of research and engineering leadership. He remains closely associated with the University of Alberta as an Emeritus Professor, reflecting the lasting contribution he has made to the University, its research community and the wider field of engineering. Last month he joined Hong Kong Polytechnic University as chair professor in the department of Mechanical Engineering, extending his key expertise of mineral processing and interfacial sciences to energy storage materials for renewable energies. 

Prof. Xu's career is distinguished not only by the scale of his scholarly achievements, but also by his ability to connect fundamental science with real-world challenges. Through research, innovation, mentorship and international leadership, he has made a significant contribution to advancing more efficient and sustainable approaches to resource engineering. His Lifetime Achievement Award provides a fitting opportunity to celebrate a career of remarkable scientific achievement and enduring impact.

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Robin Batterham becomes only the second person to hold the IMPC's two top awards

In 1995 Prof. Doug Fuerstenau was the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award (LTA) of the International Mineral Processing Council. In 2018 he was presented with the Distinguished Service Award (DSA) making him the first person to hold both of these prestigious awards.

At last night's Gala Dinner at the International Mineral Processing Congress in Cape Town, the DSA was awarded to Prof. Robin Batterham, who becomes only the second person to have received the LTA and the DSA. He received the LTA only two years ago at the IMPC in the USA.

Robin with IMPC Chairman Aubrey Mainza and Council President Ralph Holmes

Prof. Batterham is Emeritus Kernot Professor of Engineering at the University of Melbourne, Australia. and his stellar career is detailed in the posting of 3rd October 2024 on the occasion of his LTA. Since then, in 2025 Engineers Australia awarded him the Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal, its highest award for career achievement in engineering, and he continues to chair Net Zero Australia.

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Comminution '27: a final call for abstracts

A reminder that if you would like to present a paper at Comminution '27 in April, the deadline for short abstracts is the end of next week.  You should submit your abstract via the website portal by October 31st.

All presenters will be invited to submit papers for peer-review after the conference. These will be refereed, and, if accepted, published immediately in the first available regular issue of Minerals Engineering, and included in the Virtual Special Issue of the conference on ScienceDirect. This is an ideal opportunity to present your work to an international audience and have your paper published in a refereed journal of high repute.

Reports on Comminution '25 will give you some idea of what to expect next April.

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The IMPC welcomes the first of its 800 delegates

It was great to catch up with so many familiar faces tonight in Cape Town, the welcoming session for the International Mineral Processing Congress at the Convention Centre in the city centre.

Around 800 delegates have registered and we were pleased to welcome so many of them who called in to talk with us in the MEI booth. We hope to chat with so many more over the next four days.

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October Cornish Mining Sundowner- more good news on lithium

It was a great sundowner last night at Falmouth's Chain Locker, with over 30 in attendance.

I was pleased to see so many Camborne School of Mines first and second year students, mainly engineering geology and mining engineering, and hope that they will become regulars over the next few years.

A couple of weeks ago Geothermal Energy Ltd (GEL) announced that it will invest around £43 million in a new cutting-edge lithium extraction facility at its United Downs site in West Cornwall, using brine from the existing geothermal wells. The investment will create nearly 50 direct jobs and support around 80 more across the supply chain, after receiving an Offer in Principle worth nearly £10 million through the Government’s DRIVE35 Automotive Transformation Fund.

The move comes as demand for lithium is expected to increase by 1,100% by 2035 and will support hundreds of jobs and shore up Britain’s supplies of lithium. This critical mineral is essential for powering electric vehicle batteries, which is why the government has now taken action to unlock nearly £230 million of private investment into two lithium projects in Cornwall and Teesside.

With the UK boasting amazing natural resources, and Cornwall at the centre of one of the most important historic mining regions in both the country and Europe, this investment will help unlock the South West’s industrial potential as part of the Prime Minister’s mission to reindustrialise this country. This builds on Tees Valley Lithium’s £185 million investment to establish one of Europe’s largest lithium refineries in Teesside. This investment will support hundreds of jobs and strengthen the UK’s battery supply chain, following a government Offer in Principle for £18.3 million through DRIVE35.

The investments are made possible by the Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy and represent a major step forward in the UK’s transition to electric vehicles and another strong vote of confidence in Britain’s automotive sector. This is in addition to £1 billion of investment announced already this month from Bentley, McLaren and Nissan.

And more good news: the International Lithium Association has welcomed Cornish Lithium Plc as a new Associate Member. The International Lithium Association is a global network committed to the responsible development of lithium resources.

I hope the next sundowner will be as well supported as last night's.  It will be the last at the Chain Locker until February and will be held on Thursday November 19th, from 5.30pm.

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The Cape Town IMPC is less than a week away

The International Mineral Processing Congress begins next week at the Cape Town Convention Centre. MEI is a media partner and will be represented by Amanda, Will, Barbara and me. 

I will be publishing a summary in a couple of weeks' time, so if you are one of the +1000 professionals that the IMPC predicts will be in attendance, please stop by our exhibition booth and let us know your news.

Three weeks after the IMPC the full MEI team will be on the other side of the mountain, at Newlands, for Process Mineralogy '26 and Critical Minerals '26. It's not too late to register for these events.

The MEI team at the Vineyard Hotel: Barry, Barbara, Will, Amanda and Jon

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