Evaluation of Barrier Materials for Leaching Solution Control in In-situ 
Recovery Processing

Mawire, Godfrey Takudzwa

Access Status

Fulltext not available

Embargo Lift Date

2027-08-01

Authors

Mawire, Godfrey Takudzwa

Date

2025

Supervisor

Navdeep Dhami

Robbie McDonald

Abhijit Mukherjee

Type

Thesis

Award

PhD

Metadata

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Faculty

Science and Engineering

School

School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/98299

Collection

Curtin Theses

Abstract

This research evaluated barrier materials for confining In-situ-recovery (ISR) operations within leaching boundaries and mitigating potential contaminant escape. Tailings-GGBFS binary mixtures were alkali-activated to form geopolymers. These composites exhibited high compressive strength (99 MPa) and low permeability (< 10?¹8 m2). The geopolymers showed significant stability in simulated downhole environments up to a depth of 2000 m, and incorporating mineral tailings improved their acid resistance. This performance meets and exceeds the functional requirements of ISR operations.