The World Needs Metallurgical Process Engineers Peter C
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JOM, Vol. 71, No. 2, 2019 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-018-03316-4 Ó 2019 The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society The World Needs Metallurgical Process Engineers Peter C. Hayes The Changing World On the face of it, the metallurgical development of new advanced materials industry looks stronger than at any time in and manufacturing technologies, creating its development. Primary metal production opportunities for new industries in a is at record levels, and continues to expand diverse range of engineering applications. LQUHVSRQVHWRVLJQL¿FDQWSRSXODWLRQ The advent of computerization and new and consumption growth. The rapid technologies for energy generation and technological changes that are currently storage are already stimulating the need for underway are creating new markets for new process technologies to produce a wide metals. range of metallic elements—elements that, The industry response to this demand even in the recent past, have been regarded will be increased investment in exploration as being of no more than intellectual or and the discovery of new primary sources academic interest. Peter Hayes in the form of ore bodies. However, we Although small in volume, these are FDQH[SHFWWKDWDVWKHVH¿QLWHVRXUFHV high value products, critical for the are consumed, there will be further sustainability of our technologically Editor’s Note: This article declines in mean ore grades. Without advanced societies. Examples of these is based on the keynote lecture, “The Changing World major technological innovations this trend metals include, in photovoltaics—indium, of Metallurgical Education, means that, to maintain the same levels of gallium, germanium, silicon, silver; in delivered by Peter Hayes production, there will be increased energy electric vehicles and batteries—cobalt, at a joint session of the 7th usage, and with it increased costs and copper, lithium, rare earth elements, International Symposium on the potential for greater environmental vanadium; in fuel cells—gold, palladium, Advances in Sulfide Smelting impacts. The problems will be most acute platinum, ruthenium; thermo- and opto- and the Peter Hayes Symposium for nonferrous metals and those metals that electrics—bismuth, antimony, arsenic, on Pyrometallurgical Processing are present in low concentrations in ores. gallium, selenium, tellurium. These metals at Extraction 2018 held in The use and treatment of polymetallic are needed in the form of pure metals, August 2018. Comments were ores will increase. Raw materials will compounds, and solutions to tight chemical provided by the following be of greater complexity in terms of DQGSK\VLFDOVSHFL¿FDWLRQVIRUHDFKRIWKHVH discussion panel: Bart Blanpain (Leuven University); Kenneth both microstructure and composition different manufacturing applications. Coley (McMaster University); over those that have been used in recent In Europe, issues such as materials Mario Loebbus (Aurubis); Sari times. These factors will create a need scarcity and concerns over the supply of Muinonen (Glencore); and for further technological development critical metals have prompted strategic Maurits van Camp (Umicore). and metallurgical innovation to be able to moves involving both government and Extraction 2018 was organized HI¿FLHQWO\SURFHVVWKHVHPDWHULDOV industry towards creating a circular by The Metallurgy and Materials 7KHSUR¿OHRIWKHPHWDOOXUJLFDO economy; one in which waste and energy Society (MetSoc) of the industries in Europe and the United usage is minimized, and metal and materials Canadian Institute of Mining, 6WDWHVKDVFKDQJHGVLJQL¿FDQWO\IURP recycling are maximized. These initiatives, Metallurgy and Petroleum one of primary metal production and the need for industry, university, and (CIM); the Society for Mining, to manufacturing. Metallurgical JRYHUQPHQWFRRSHUDWLRQDUHH[HPSOL¿HGE\ Metallurgy & Exploration (SME); and TMS. engineers have played a key role in the the establishment of the European Institute 463 464 Hayes of Innovation and Technology (EIT). decline in teaching, and in research and Do You Within this Institute, “raw materials” was development capabilities in core aspects designated as one of the key Knowledge of metallurgical process engineering.6 Have a and Innovation Communities charged with Metallurgical process engineering has assisting the drive towards the circular been reduced to a minor component of Perspective economy.1 most of these MSE teaching and learning The underlying message is clear. Our programs, and in many cases, key courses to Share? technologically based society cannot be have disappeared from the curriculum. There has been a marked decline in student JOM: The sustained without the continued supply of metals from both primary and secondary enrollments in metallurgical process Magazine is sources. Metallurgical engineers are engineering programs in industrialized seeking case needed to provide innovative solutions countries. to the emerging and complex challenges In addition, those countries whose studies, member faced by the industry. economies rely on primary metal perspectives, production in general, do not have Status of Metallurgical WKH¿QDQFLDOUHVRXUFHVRUHGXFDWLRQ and non- Education Programs infrastructures strong enough to establish technical project Over the past 100 years, the principal and sustain strong mineral processing overviews with pathways that have been developed for and metallurgical process engineering the education of our young engineers programs. strong industrial have been through tertiary institutions, Across the globe, the strong support applications. To our colleges and universities. In general, previously given by industry for mining the standards of training of professional and metallurgical education has faded. suggest an article engineers have never been higher. Schools of Mines, once the source of idea, contact All recognized engineering programs skilled workforces for primary production, have been closed. The numbers of Kaitlin Calva, are subject to rigorous scrutiny by accreditation panels representing academic positions at universities JOM Magazine the various engineering professions. supported by industry have declined. The Managing Editor, $FFUHGLWHGOHDUQLQJSURJUDPVPXVWIXO¿OO result is that, internationally, with the few minimum standards of learning outcomes exceptions of countries having centrally at [email protected]. covering fundamental and specialist controlled economies, there has been a knowledge, graduate attributes and GHFOLQHLQ¿QDQFLDOUHVRXUFHVGLUHFWHG professional engineering skills.2–4 Major towards providing opportunities for future efforts are being made across all tertiary metallurgical engineering professionals. institutions to improve teaching and In short, the quality and sustainability of learning practice, to enhance the quality of metallurgical engineering education in deep learning and provide the foundations most regions of the world are under threat for lifelong learning. at the very time that innovation and the However, if we examine the structure ability to meet major technical challenges and content of metallurgical engineering are becoming the central tenants to the SURJUDPVZH¿QGSDUWLFXODUO\LQWKH future of the industry. Industry will be the United States and Europe, that the majority ¿UVWWRORVHLIWKHDYDLODELOLW\RIZHOO have morphed over time into materials trained metallurgical engineers continues science and engineering (MSE) programs to decline. Those companies and countries —a matrix of disciplines that are related that invest in their workforce are the through the common elements of structure/ ones most likely to survive the emerging composition; properties; performance, challenges and to take advantage of the and product synthesis.5 This change has business opportunities ahead. been driven by major investments into A concerted effort is needed by industry, the research and development of new professional societies, and academia materials, and their application to new to promote and sustain the education manufacturing technologies. While the DQGUHVHDUFKFDSDFLWLHVLQWKH¿HOGRI expansion and growth of metallurgical metallurgical process engineering at our education into these new areas is welcome, tertiary institutions. close examination reveals a marked The World Needs Metallurgical Process Engineers 465 Metallurgists of the Future If the need for continued metallurgical education is accepted, it is timely to ask some important questions. What knowledge, skills, and attributes do we need from our future metallurgical engineering workforce to prepare them for the challenges that lie ahead? How are we to ensure that we provide appropriate learning and career pathways for future professional metallurgical engineers? We need metallurgical engineers who can understand and provide innovative solutions to complex problems, and who can adapt to the rapid changes in technologies. All metallurgical engineers need problem solving, and synthesis. Figure 1. Common core a background and understanding of knowledge and skills that The common features that could be can be used to define mathematics, the basic sciences, materials, XVHGWRGH¿QHWKHPHWDOOXUJLFDOSURFHVV and develop metallurgical and other engineering sciences in order to engineering (MPE) programs for the future, process engineering be able to communicate and effectively and the core knowledge and skills needed, (MPE) programs. work with other professionals in the can be summarized by four interrelated industry. Some would argue that a general areas: specialist metallurgical process HQJLQHHULQJHGXFDWLRQLVVXI¿FLHQW