Achieving Sustainable Production of Critical Minerals: Key Challenges and Opportunities
Minerals and metals derived from the lithosphere have been essential to economic development since the beginning of human civilization, but now, the mining sector is increasingly critical to achieving global decarbonization through electrification and renewable energy deployment. Copper is a key component of this transition. But these resources should be produced with a lower societally negative footprint: emitting no carbon dioxide, minimizing environmental hazards, maximizing safety, and preserving and enhancing the well-being of the communities in which these commodities are mined. At the same time, ore grades are declining, social impediments to permitting are mounting, and companies are having difficulty recruiting trained talent to run operations.
The 2024 MIT Chile Conference, jointly organized by MIT and Antofagasta Minerals, is a leading Chilean mining company headquartered in Chile. Join us in Antofagasta or Santiago and learn how multiple trends in our society have potential implications for mining operations today and in the future. Some of the needed improvements include optimizing operations with artificial intelligence, decarbonization, electromobility, remote processing, and robotics and automation. What are the implications of these technologies for mining operations? How can technological advances be applied to the mining industry with lower economic and environmental risks?
MIT faculty and startups will share views toward the mine of the future based on technical advances in the MIT innovation ecosystem in:
Hear from recognized experts in industry and academia on how your company can leverage these trends to build a more sustainable, safe, and productive industry, essentially developing mining for a better future.
Enjoy Hotel, Av. Angamos N° 01455, 1272037, Antofagasta, Región de Antofagasta, Chile View Map
Alan Muchnik is a seasoned professional who entered the Group in 2016. Possessing a master's degree in engineering with a focus on business administration and management, Alan brings over 15 years of extensive experience in the mining and metals industry.
Alan has held key positions throughout his career, showcasing his expertise and leadership. Notable roles include serving as the Innovation and Energy Manager at Antofagasta Minerals, the Commercial Studies Manager at BHP Billiton, the Manager of Divestments at BHP Billiton, and the Strategy and Planning Manager at BHP Billiton. Alan's diverse background reflects his comprehensive understanding of the industry and his ability to navigate various facets of mining and business management.
Eduardo Garrido is a Program Director at the Office of Corporate Relations at MIT.
Eduardo Garrido has a strong multicultural and multidisciplinary background, with deep expertise in higher education, banking and management consulting, acquired in Argentina, Spain and USA. He currently serves as Program Director at the Industrial Liaison Program, Office of Corporate Relations (MIT), the largest conduit between corporations and MIT.
Before joining MIT, Eduardo was the Director of Santander Universities at Santander Bank, N.A., based in Boston, MA. In this role, he managed the institutional and business relationship with 46 universities, mainly in the northeastern US. He also served as Santander US representative at President Obama’s 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative and the Woman for Africa Foundation, among other relevant global higher education projects, and as Member of the Global President’s Council at NYU and the Advisory Boards of the Deming Cup, ECLA (Columbia University) and Newcastle University Business School.
Before coming to the US, Eduardo had several roles at Banco Santander Rio (Argentina). As Director of Santander Universities, he started the first entrepreneurship initiative at Grupo Santander worldwide, including the launching of a business plan competition, the Technology Innovation Venture Capital Fund, and a national competitiveness development initiative. He also sponsored the first edition of MIT 50K in Argentina. As Director of Organization and Quality at Banco Santander Rio, he led the team that obtained the first Global ISO 9001:2000 certificate for a financial institution in Latin America, certifying all main processes and areas of the bank. He also steered the business process reengineering project for the whole Bank, partnering with Ernst & Young and McKinsey and Co and implemented the Retail Banking new operating model.
Before joining Banco Santander Rio, Eduardo was Senior Manager of the Financial Services and Capital Markets Group at Price Waterhouse Management Consultants in Madrid, Spain. He was the Practice Leader of Business Process Reengineering, Financial Risk Management and Risk Adjusted Profitability Measurement.
Before his assignment at Price Waterhouse he served as Director of Consulting Services at MSA International, Inc. and as Financial Control Manager at Citibank España, S.A.
Eduardo graduated as Industrial Engineer at Universidad de Buenos Aires and has a MBA degree from IE Business School.
Professor Olivetti received a BS in engineering science from the University of Virginia in 2000, and a PhD in materials science and engineering from MIT in 2007. She spent her PhD program studying the electrochemistry of polymer and inorganic materials for electrodes in lithium-ion batteries. In 2014, she joined DMSE as an assistant professor. As an educator, Olivetti overhauled DMSE’s undergraduate curriculum and developed new courses, including one for the MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium Climate Scholars. She’s a member of the MIT Climate Nucleus and co-director of the MIT Climate & Sustainability Consortium.
Professor Elsa Olivetti’s research focuses on improving the environmental and economic sustainability of materials. Specifically, she develops analytical and computational models to provide early-stage information on the cost and environmental impact of materials. Professor Olivetti and her research-group colleagues work toward improving sustainability through increased use of recycled and renewable materials, recycling-friendly material design, and intelligent waste disposition. The Olivetti Group also focuses on understanding the implications of substitution, dematerialization, and waste mining on materials markets.
Professor Grossman received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Illinois and performed postdoctoral work at the University of California at Berkeley. In 2009, he joined MIT, where he developed a research program known for its contributions to energy conversion, energy storage, membranes, and clean-water technologies. He served as the Head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering from 2020-2023, and in 2021 he helped create and became the founding co-director of the MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium, a new type of academia-industry partnership. In recognition of his contributions to engineering education, Grossman was named an MIT MacVicar Faculty Fellow and received the Bose Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has published more than 200 scientific papers, holds 17 current or pending U.S. patents, and co-founded two Massachusetts companies to commercialize novel membranes materials for efficient industrial separations: ViaSeparations, a company that commercializes graphene-oxide membranes to separate chemicals for manufacturing, and SiTration, a company that commercializes silicon membranes for chemical-free, energy-efficient extraction and recycling of critical materials.
Our planet’s health needs an acceleration in the pace of progress towards clean and sustainable technologies that are critically dependent on materials innovation. In particular, the ability to recover critical materials will be essential in order to support the energy transition to clean energies. Materials science and engineering provides the ability to understand and control matter at the atomic scale to realize optimized performance across an exhaustive set of metrics. This lecture will discuss the impact of materials design, with a focus on two examples from our recent work on resilient nanofiltration membranes, which are currently being commercialized. These new membranes can be used in a range of applications important to the recovery of critical materials, from up-concentration of highly acidic streams to more energy-efficient recovery of metals with much less chemical input to enhanced and low-cost remediation mining-influenced water. I’ll highlight recent results showing the potential application of these technologies in the leaching process and valorization of tailings.
Professor Grossman earned a BA in physics at Johns Hopkins University in 1991 and did graduate work at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, earning a PhD in theoretical physics in 1996. He was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California at Berkeley and then a Lawrence Fellow at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. In 2009 he joined MIT, where he developed a research program known for its contributions to energy conversion, energy storage, membranes, and clean-water technologies. He has published more than 200 scientific papers, holds 17 current or pending patents, and recently co-founded two Massachusetts companies to commercialize novel membranes materials for efficient industrial separations. One is ViaSeparations, which commercializes graphene-oxide membranes to separate chemicals for manufacturing. The other is SiTration, a company that commercializes silicon membranes for chemical-free, energy-efficient extraction and recycling of critical materials.
Joseph Kenrick is a Project Manager at Lunar Outpost Oceania, based in Melbourne, Australia. He holds a Master's Degree in Space Resources and a Bachelor's Degree in Petroleum Engineering with a Minor in Economics from the Colorado School of Mines. Joseph worked as Reservoir and Production Engineer in the oil and gas industry for several years before transitioning to the space industry. During his master’s studies, Joseph conducted research on mining water and regolith on the lunar surface. At Lunar Outpost, he played a vital role in various projects, including NASA’s Break the Ice Challenge, the Autonomous Site Preparation: Excavation, Compaction and Testing Rover, and the Cislunar Logistics Center (a partnered project with the United States Air Force). Currently, Joseph is spearheading the ELO2 Consortium’s technical and project efforts to develop an autonomous lunar excavator for the Australian Space Agency's Trailblazer Program, which will be the country's first mission to the Moon. Joseph also leads the commercialisation of the company’s space robotic systems for use in extreme environments on Earth.
Rafael Villamor-Lora received his Ph.D. from MIT in Geomechanics. He holds a B.S. and M.Eng. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a B.S. in Environmental Sciences from Alfonso X University (Spain). He also holds an M.S. in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Vermont. During his doctoral work, he studied different physical processes in stressed rough fractures, including rock deformation, fluid flow, and mass transport. He has extensive experience in digital fabrication and in the development of new laboratory apparatus and experimental protocols. He joined Eden in 2022 and leads the R&D experimental program.
Moran David is the CEO of GPR, where he leads the company with a bold vision and strategic insight. With a proven track record of success in the technology and robotics industries, Moran brings invaluable leadership and expertise to his role.
Before assuming his position at GPR, Moran served as the Chief Commercial Officer at Sea Machines Robotics, a pioneering company revolutionizing marine navigation through data-driven intelligence and autonomy. At Sea Machines Robotics, Moran drove the company's commercial strategy and spearheaded global teams across sales, marketing, business development, and sales support.
Prior to his role at Sea Machines Robotics, Moran held the position of General Manager for North America at Mobileye, a leader in the development of driverless technology. During his time at Mobileye, Moran led strategic initiatives to optimize sales channels, drive revenue growth, and streamline operations.
Moran's dedication to excellence extends beyond the boardroom, as he enjoys various outdoor activities in his free time, including running, sailing, and skydiving. With his visionary leadership and proven ability to drive results, Moran is committed to guiding GPR towards continued success and innovation in the autonomous vehicle industry.
Martin Capriles is a cleantech leader and entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in business development, finance, strategy, and operations. He is the Chief Strategy Officer of InEnTec, a cleantech company and leader in the field of plasma gasification, distributed hydrogen production, and plastic circularity. He is also the founder and CEO of PEMTx Energy, a start-up that leverages proprietary technology to transform industrial feedstock into clean energy products. Board member at DBT Aero. Former Managing Director at Meta Capital Investment Group and board member at Surfside Coffee Co. Prior experience included 20 years with CEMEX in various roles with P&L responsibility. MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.
Dr. Michael Ford is a Co-Founder of Femto Energy Ltd, a clean energy solutions company based in London, UK. Femto focuses on energy system project development leveraging the use of nuclear technologies including transportable fission batteries. Dr. Ford has had a distinguished career that has included leadership positions spanning engineering, energy systems research and national security. His roles have included Associate Laboratory Director for Engineering at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Strategy Development Director for Energy and Global Security at Argonne National Laboratory and Environmental Research Fellow at Harvard University. Dr. Ford has published in leading journals such as Energy Policy and Nature Energy with research focused on the use of nuclear technologies as a clean energy alternative. Dr. Ford led Phase I of the US Department of Energy (DOE) funded National Demonstration Reactor Siting Study, served as a committee member for the recent National Academies study “Laying the Foundation for New and Advanced Nuclear Reactors in the US” and served from 2021-2023 as a member of the DOE Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee. CAPT (Ret) Ford also served a distinguished career as an officer in the US Navy. He commanded the cruiser USS Bunker Hill and the destroyer USS Mustin and served as senior nuclear engineer aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. He has decades of light water reactor operating experience and was a member of the Navy Nuclear Propulsion Examining Board. Dr. Ford earned his PhD in Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.
W Hotel, Isidora Goyenechea 3000, 7550653 Las Condes, Región Metropolitana, Chile View Map
Joseph Kenrick is a Project Manager at Lunar Outpost Oceania, based in Melbourne, Australia. He holds a Master's Degree in Space Resources and a Bachelor's Degree in Petroleum Engineering with a Minor in Economics from the Colorado School of Mines. Joseph worked as Reservoir and Production Engineer in the oil and gas industry for several years before transitioning to the space industry. During his master’s studies, Joseph conducted research on mining water and regolith on the lunar surface. At Lunar Outpost, he played a vital role in various projects, including NASA’s Break the Ice Challenge, the Autonomous Site Preparation: Excavation, Compaction and Testing Rover, and the Cislunar Logistics Center (a partnered project with the United States Air Force). Currently, Joseph is spearheading the ELO2 Consortium’s technical and project efforts to develop an autonomous lunar excavator for the Australian Space Agency's Trailblazer Program, which will be the country's first mission to the Moon. Joseph also leads the commercialization of the company’s space robotic systems for use in extreme environments on Earth.
Rafael received his Ph.D. from MIT in Geomechanics. He holds a B.S. and M.Eng. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a B.S. in Environmental Sciences from Alfonso X University (Spain). He also holds an M.S. in Geotechnical Engineering from the University of Vermont. During his doctoral work, he studied different physical processes in stressed rough fractures, including rock deformation, fluid flow, and mass transport. He has extensive experience in digital fabrication and in the development of new laboratory apparatus and experimental protocols. He joined Eden in 2022 and leads the R&D experimental program.