Darren Mark and Dan Barfod have been awarded £300k by the Natural Environment Research Council for development of a SELFRAG facility at SUERC. The facility will be open to collaborative and commercial use from late 2020. For initial inquiries please contact Dan.Barfod@glasgow.ac.uk

SELFRAG selective fragmentation equipment

Key Features

  • SELFRAG is selective fragmentation using high voltage pulsed power A 'bolt of lightening' is passed through the sample causing it to shatter along the boundaries of different material phases.
  • Preferentially reduces mixtures to individual components before reducing the particle size of a pure component. inclusions are liberated keeping the host material large.
  • For highly crystalline material the impurities will be liberated first whilst keeping the size of the pure quartz crystals large.
  • Separate zircons, diamonds, gemstones and industrial minerals from the host rock.
  • Separate recycling and e-waste into the individual components.

 Variety of samples fragmented by SELFRAG. Particle size decreases with extended application time.

First published: 25 August 2020

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