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"MAKING TINY PARTICLES DO MAGIC THINGS"
25 August 1999

The Australian Academy of Science has awarded its prestigious Wark Medal to Emeritus Professor Tom Healy, Director of the Advanced Mineral Products Special Research Centre at the University of Melbourne. The presentation was made at a dinner in Melbourne.

Professor Healy investigates the physics and chemistry of surface forces and particles in suspension, using world-class tools such as atomic force microscopes. He also applies this knowledge to industrial problems, as part of long-term collaborations with CSIRO and large companies.

Freeing the mineral from the rock

Professor Healy has turned his mind to the problem of separating minerals from the surrounding rock. When the Zinc Corporation (now part of Rio Tinto) began using concrete roads in their mines at Broken Hill, the ores became contaminated with cement. This interfered with the flotation process used to concentrate the zinc ore. In the early 1970s Professor Healy and others studied the chemistry of the zinc extraction process and changed it to keep the valuable mineral particles free of contamination.

Keeping the colour in the paint

Then paint makers wanted more durable pigments that did not break down outdoors. The problem was that ultraviolet light was causing damaging reactions in titanium dioxide, which makes paint appear white. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Professor Healy and a team from industry worked out how to coat the molecules of titanium dioxide with a thin film of inert material, thereby stopping the damaging process.

This solution added significant value to the Australian mineral sands industry, which produces titanium dioxide.

Knowing where to go; going with the flow

Professor Healy’s Centre has recently devised a cheap, non-toxic way to help coal miners work out which seam and level they are in. And he is considering how to keep mining sludges fluid, so that they can be moved using pipelines rather than trucks.

Professor Healy is also recognised for his contribution to education, inspiring students and staff in the spirit of cooperative research. He says, ‘I’m supposed to be a teacher, not a commercialiser of research.’ But the success of his collaboration with industry means he attracts the best students. ‘They can do high-class science and see useful outcomes,’ he says.

In presenting the Wark Medal, the Academy’s President, Brian Anderson said "Tom Healy’s work demonstrates beautifully the interplay of first-class creative science and the hard challenges thrown up by industry"

The Wark Medal is awarded for the application of scientific discoveries for the benefit of the community. It commemorates the work of Sir Ian Wark, a former Chief of the CSIRO Division of Industrial Chemistry, who was known for his research into the concentration and separation of minerals from their ores.