CONTACT INFORMATION:
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Education:
Present Ph.D. Candidate in Metallurgical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
1998 M.Sc. in Metallurgical Engineering, University of Utah.
1993 B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, National Polytechnic University, Quito-Ecuador.
Experience:
1995-present Research Assistant, Department of Metallurgical Engineering, University of Utah. Research topics: characterization and analysis of copper heap leaching (2001-present), synthesis of magnetic activated carbon for recovery of metal ions and complexes from aqueous solutions (1998-present), and thiocyanate leaching of gold from an auriferous pyrite ore (1995-1998).
Teaching Assistant for the following courses:
 MET E 3620 – Thermodynamics & Phase Equilibria, Spring 2000 and Spring 1999.
 MET E 1610 – Introduction to Extractive Metallurgy, Fall 2000, Fall 1999, and Fall 1998.
 MET E 570 – Hydrometallurgy, Winter 1998 and Winter 1997.
 MET E 561 – Thermodynamics & Phase Equilibria, Autumn 1997.
1993 – 1995 Self-owned private business, refining and trading of precious metals, Quito, Ecuador.
1994 Quality Control Manager, Pronaca, Quito, Ecuador.
1991 – 1993 Research Assistant, Extractive Metallurgy Department, National Polytechnic University, Quito, Ecuador. Research topics: gold recovery by direct smelting of sulfide concentrates, and production of activated carbon by steam gasification.
Teaching Assistant, National Polytechnic University, Quito, Ecuador:
 Unit Operations in Mineral Processing, Department of Chemical Engineering.
 Chemical Reaction Engineering – Extractive Metallurgy Applications, Department of Chemical Engineering.
 Mineral Processing, Department of Geology.
Research Interests:
 Gold dissolution from its ores with cyanide, thiocyanate, iodine/iodide, thiourea, chlorine species, and thiosulphate as leaching agents.
 Precipitation, activated carbon adsorption and elution, solvent extraction, and refining of gold and silver.
 Production of conventional and magnetic activated carbon.
 Biohydrometallurgy of precious and base metals.
 Fire assay of precious metals.
Instrumentation Skills:
Broad experience in the use of the equipment and interpretation of data obtained by the following instrumentation techniques:
 Atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) and inductively coupled plasma – emission spectroscopy (ICP-ES) for elemental analysis in solution. Trained more than 20 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the use of ICP-ES and interpretation of obtained data.
 X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for species identification and phase and structure characterization.
 Surface area and pore size distribution analysis by gas adsorption.
 Spectroscopic surface analysis by DRIFTS and FT-IR.
 Electrochemistry.
 Magnetometry.
Awards and Fellowships:
2001 Cooper-Hansen Fellowship, College of Mines and Earth Sciences, University of Utah.
2001 Team of Excellence Award, Utah Engineering Experiment Station, University of Utah.
2000 IPMI Award for graduate research in gold hydrometallurgy, The International Precious Metals Institute, Inc. (IPMI).
2000 Cooper-Hansen Fellowship, College of Mines and Earth Sciences, University of Utah.
2000 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, Department of Metallurgical Engineering, University of Utah.
1998 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, College of Mines and Earth Sciences, University of Utah.
1998 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, Department of Metallurgical Engineering, University of Utah.
1997-2000 BID-Fundacyt Fellowship for Ph.D. studies in Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Utah, Fundación para la Ciencia y Tecnología (Fundacyt), Quito – Ecuador
1995-1997 BID-Fundacyt Fellowship for M.Sc. studies in Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Utah, Fundación para la Ciencia y Tecnología, (Fundacyt), Quito – Ecuador.
University Activities:
Graduate Student Advisory Committee (SAC) Chair, for the 1997–1998 and
1998–1999 academic years, Department of Metallurgical Engineering, University of Utah.
Memberships:
The Society of Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. (SME).
The International Precious Metals Institute, Inc. (IPMI).
The American Chemical Society (ACS).
The American Carbon Society.
Languages: Spanish and English.
Research and Instrumentation Proposals:
Major contribution on the preparation of the following granted proposals:
S. Duyvesteyn, principal investigator (PI), and J.D. Miller, “Removal of Metal Ions and Complexes from Aqueous Solutions using Powdered Magnetic Activated Carbon,” Technology Commercialization Project (TCP) submitted to the University of Utah Research Foundation,
April 2001.
Amount granted: US$ 69,050.00.
J.D. Miller (PI), “Characterization and Analysis of Copper Heap Leaching at Compañía Minera Zaldívar,” research proposal submitted to Compañía Minera Zaldívar, Antofagasta - Chile, a subsidiary of Placer Dome Inc., Vancouver - Canada, March 2001.
Amount granted: US$ 348,750.00.
J.D. Miller (PI), “Surface Area and Pore Size Distribution Analyzer,” submitted to the 2000-2001 Research Instrumentation Fund Committee, Office of the Vice President for Research, University of Utah, May 2000.
Amount granted: US$ 42,400.00.
Major contribution on the preparation of the following pending proposals:
J.D. Miller (PI), and S. Duyvesteyn, “Treatment of Contaminated Water from Mining Operations with Newly Developed Magnetic Activated Carbon,” submitted to the Hazardous Substance Research Center 2001-STAR-Q1, Region 8 Center, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), May 2001.
Amount requested: US$ 135,425.00.
J.D. Miller (PI), “Fundamental Studies on the Adsorption of Metals in Aqueous Solutions by Magnetic Activated Carbons,” to be submitted to the Petroleum Research Fund Committee of the American Chemical Society (ACS), November 2001.
Amount requested: US$ 60,000.00
Patent Disclosures:
J.D. Miller, G.A. Munoz, and S. Duyvesteyn, “Magnetic Activated Carbon Particles for Adsorption of Solutes from Solution,” February 25, 2001, Provisional Patent No. U2975.1P.
Presentations and Publications:
G.A. Munoz, S. Duyvesteyn, E. de la Torre, and J.D. Miller, “Pilot Scale Production of Magnetic Activated Carbon and its Evaluation for CIP and CIL Applications,” to be presented in the 2003 SME Annual Meeting, February 24-26, 2003, Cincinnati, Ohio.
G.A. Munoz, S. Duyvesteyn, and J.D. Miller, “Industrial Applications of Magnetic Activated Carbon on the Recovery of Gold from Alkaline Cyanide Leaching Solutions,” to be presented in the 26th IPMI Conference of Precious Metals, June 15-18, 2002, Miami, Florida.
G.A. Munoz, S. Duyvesteyn, and J.D. Miller, “Fundamental Aspects of Gold Adsorption by Magnetic Activated Carbon,” to be presented in the 2002 SME Annual Meeting, February 25-27, 2002, Phoenix, Arizona.
G.A. Munoz, S. Duyvesteyn, and J.D. Miller, “Magnetic Activated Carbon (MAC) Technology,” poster presented in the Utah 2001 Industry Showcase, August 27-29, 2001, Salt Lake City, Utah.
J.D. Miller, S. Duyvesteyn, and G.A. Munoz, “Design and Synthesis of Magnetic Activated Carbons for Adsorption of Gold from Alkaline Cyanide Leaching Solutions,” presented in the Fundamentals and Applications of Anion Separations Symposium, 222th American Chemical Society National Meeting, August 26-30, 2001, Chicago, Illinois. To be published in “Anion Separations: Fundamentals and Applications,” B.A. Moyer, and R.J. Singh, eds., Kluwer Academic/Plenium Publishers: New York, 2002.
P. Iordanov, G.A. Munoz and E. de la Torre, “Characterization of an Activated Carbon with Ion-Exchange Properties for Treatment of Gold-Bearing Ores,” presented in the 2001 SME Annual Meeting, February 26-28, 2001, Denver, Colorado.
G.A. Munoz, S. Duyvesteyn, and J.D. Miller, “Advances in Magnetic Activated Carbon for Gold Recovery - Physical and Chemical Characteristics”, presented in the 2001 SME Annual Meeting, February 26-28, 2001, Denver, Colorado.
G.A. Munoz, S. Duyvesteyn, D. Halbe, and J.D. Miller, “Engineering Analysis of Magnetic Activated Carbon for Gold Recovery in CIP and CIL Circuits,” presented in the 2001 SME Annual Meeting, February 26-28, 2001, Denver, Colorado.
G.A. Munoz, S. Duyvesteyn and J.D. Miller, “Magnetic Activated Carbon for Gold Recovery from Cyanide Leaching Solutions,” presented in the 2000 SME Annual Meeting, March 1-3, 2000, Salt Lake City, Utah.
G.A. Munoz and J.D. Miller, “Noncyanide Leaching of an Auriferous Pyrite Ore from Ecuador,” Minerals and Metallurgical Processing Journal, Vol. 17, No. 3, 2000, pp. 198-204; paper presented in the 1999 SME Annual Meeting, March 1-3, 1999, Denver, Colorado.
G.A. Munoz, “Thiocyanate Leaching of Gold from an Auriferous Pyrite Ore,” M.Sc. Thesis, University of Utah, 1998, 147 pp.
G.A. Munoz “Gold Recovery by Smelting of Sulfide Concentrates from Ecuadorian Ores,” (in Spanish), B. Sc. Thesis, National Polytechnic, Quito, Ecuador, 1993, 153 pp.
E. de la Torre and G.A. Munoz editors, “Proceedings of the Second Ecuadorian Gold Conference,” (in Spanish), Quito, Ecuador, 1991.
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