Sustainable Minerals Institute

Dr Susana Brito e Abreu

Senior Research Fellow
JKMRC
+61 7 3346 5934
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Dr Susana Brito e Abreu

Researcher biography

Dr Susana Brito e Abreu’s research focuses on mineral processing chemistry (grinding/ flotation), mineral surface chemistry, particle hydrophobicity and novel reagent technologies, and she specialises in the application of advanced surface analytical techniques in mineral processing.

Susana’s research area is mineral processing chemistry, with particular focus on froth flotation. Her research focuses on the optimisation of flotation circuits in mineral processing with a focus on developing chemistry solutions as well as on the fundamental aspects of particle-bubble interactions in flotation. She is interested in the relationship and underlying mechanisms between ore mineralogy, mineral surface chemistry, particle hydrophobicity and flotation response. Susana’s research interests are also on the development of novel, selective reagents for mineral processing. She is a recipient of the UQ Early Career Research Grant 2019 for the research project Developing novel, highly selective reagents for mineral flotation.

In addition to her knowledge and experience in the chemistry area, Susana brings expertise in the application of surface analytical techniques to study the effects of mineral surface chemistry in mineral processing operations (e.g. grinding and flotation circuits). She completed her PhD at the Ian Wark Research Institute, University of South Australia, where she correlated mineral surface chemistry as measured by Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) - a powerful surface sensitive technique - with particle hydrophobicity (i.e. contact angle) and flotation recovery, within the AMIRA P260E series. She developed a new method of determining the contact angle of mineral surfaces at the micron scale using ToF-SIMS, with direct application to flotation studies. She was awarded the Norton Jackson Materials Science and Engineering Medal in 2013 in recognition for this research. Upon completing her PhD, she continued her research within the AMIRA P260F, assisting with the application of surface analytical techniques to solve problems in the minerals industry and providing support to PhD students. Prior to her PhD, Susana had various chemistry-related roles, both in industry and academia.

Susana is a Chief Investigator in the new ARC Centre of Excellence for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals, a major partnership between seven Australian Universities, aiming to achieve a step-change in mineral processing by increasing energy and water efficiency and reducing metal loss during processing. She is involved in a number of research projects within the Centre and has collaborations with the University of Newcastle and University of South Australia.


Supervision

  • Investigation of the Effects of Turbulence in Flotation (UQ), Associate Advisor
  • Restoring the recovery of oxidised pyrite in gold flotation (UniSA), Associate Advisor


Awards

  • UQ Early Career Research Grant 2019
  • Norton Jackson Materials Science and Engineering Medal 2013

Publications

Journal Articles (14)
Conference Papers (2)
Research Reports (7)

Journal Articles

Ku, Lam Ian, Forbes, Liza and Brito e Abreu, Susana (2024). An efficient peptide screening method for mineral-binding peptides. Minerals, 14 (2) 207. doi: 10.3390/min14020207
Forbes, Elizaveta, Brito e Abreu, Susana, Tungpalan, Kate, Sashigunan, Ramya, Runge, Kym and O'Donnell, Roxanne (2022). Effect of residual reagents on chalcopyrite losses at Mount Isa Mines Copper Operation: part II- evaluation of flotation mechanisms. Minerals Engineering, 185 107687, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.mineng.2022.107687
Forbes, Elizaveta, Britoe Abreu, Susana, Tungpalan, Kate, Sashigunan, Ramya, Runge, Kym and O'Donnell, Roxanne (2022). Effect of residual reagents on chalcopyrite losses at Mount Isa Mines copper operation: Part I – evaluation of mineral recoveries. Minerals Engineering, 185 107706, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.mineng.2022.107706
Xu, Shihong, Zanin, Massimiliano, Skinner, William and Brito e Abreu, Susana (2022). Influence of grinding conditions on the pulp chemistry and flotation of oxidised pyrite. Minerals Engineering, 177 107385, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.mineng.2021.107385
Xu, Shihong, Zanin, Massimiliano, Skinner, William and Brito e Abreu, Susana (2021). Surface chemistry of oxidised pyrite during grinding: ToF-SIMS and XPS surface analysis. Minerals Engineering, 170 106992, 106992. doi: 10.1016/j.mineng.2021.106992
Xu, Shihong, Zanin, Massimiliano, Skinner, William and Brito e Abreu, Susana (2021). Surface chemistry of oxidised pyrite during grinding: EDTA extraction analysis. Minerals Engineering, 160 106683. doi: 10.1016/j.mineng.2020.106683
Xu, Shihong, Cheng, Debo, Skinner, William and Brito e Abreu, Susana (2020). Application of ToF-SIMS to predict contact angles of pyrite particles. Minerals Engineering, 147 106168, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.mineng.2019.106168
Ahmed, Furqan, Choudhury, Namita Roy, Dutta, Naba K., Brito e Abreu, Susana, Zannettino, Andrew and Duncan, Elizabeth (2014). Interaction of platelets with poly(vinylidene fluoride-co- hexafluoropropylene) electrospun surfaces. Biomacromolecules, 15 (3), 744-755. doi: 10.1021/bm4015396
Owusu, Clement, Brito e Abreu, Susana, Skinner, William, Addai-Mensah, Jonas and Zanin, Massimiliano (2014). The influence of pyrite content on the flotation of chalcopyrite/pyrite mixtures. Minerals Engineering, 55, 87-95. doi: 10.1016/j.mineng.2013.09.018
Brito e Abreu, Susana and Skinner, William (2012). Determination of contact angles, silane coverage, and hydrophobicity heterogeneity of methylated quartz surfaces using ToF-SIMS. Langmuir, 28 (19), 7360-7367. doi: 10.1021/la300352f
Brito e Abreu, Susana and Skinner, William (2011). ToF-SIMS-derived hydrophobicity in DTP flotation of chalcopyrite: contact angle distributions in flotation streams. International Journal of Mineral Processing, 98 (1-2), 35-41. doi: 10.1016/j.minpro.2010.10.003
Brito e Abreu, Susana and Skinner, William (2011). Predicting the surface chemistry contribution to the flotation recovery of chalcopyrite by ToF-SIMS. Minerals Engineering, 24 (2), 160-168. doi: 10.1016/j.mineng.2010.11.004
Brito e Abreu, Susana, Avelino, Helena M. N. T., Caetano, Fernando J. P. and Fareleira, Joao M. N. A. (2010). Density of diisodecyl phthalate at temperatures from (283.15 to 363.15) K and pressures from (0.1 to 65) MPa. Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, 55 (9), 3525-3531. doi: 10.1021/je1001413
Abreu, Susana Brito E., Brien, Chris and Skinner, William (2010). ToF-SIMS as a new method to determine the contact angle of mineral surfaces. Langmuir, 26 (11), 8122-8130. doi: 10.1021/la904443s

Conference Papers

Runge, K.C., Brito e Abreu, S., Evans, C. and O’Donnell, R. (2021). Analysis of the Mount Isa Copper concentrate preflotation circuit using advanced diagnostic techniques. Mill Operators Conference, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 23-25 June 2021. Carlton, VIC, Australia: AusIMM.
Forbes, Elizaveta, Brito e Abreu, Susana, Tungpalan, Kate, Sashingunan, Ramya, Runge, Kym and O'Donnell, Roxanne (2021). Effect of Residual Reagents on Chalcopyrite Losses at Mount Isa Mines Copper Concentrator. Flotation' 21, Online, 8 - 13 November 2021.

Research Reports

Brito e Abreu, Susana, Yenial Arslan, Unzile, Verster, Lizette and Forbes, Liza (2022). Fluorine management in mineral processing operations - a review. Brisbane, QLD Australia: The University of Queensland.
e Abreu, Susana Brito, Southam, Gordon, Villa Gomez, Denys, Ma, Xiaodong, Vaughan, James, Micklethwaite, Steven, Forbes, Liza and Parbhakar-Fox, Anita (2022). Review of mineral processing technologies suitable for arsenic recovery from sulphidic ores and wastes. Brisbane, QLD Australia: The University of Queensland.
Lizette Verster, Kym Runge and Susana Brito e Abreu (2021). GLENCON10 - Circuit Survey of Mt Isa Copper Concentrator Pre-Float Circuit. Brisbane: Sustainable Minerals Institute - JKMRC.
Brito e Abreu, Susana, Verster, Lizette, Forbes, Liza and Runge, Kym (2021). GLENCON10 - circuit survey of Mt Isa copper concentrator pre-float circuit - ToF-SIMS analysis. Brisbane, QLD Australia: Sustainable Minerals Institute - Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre.
Brito e Abreu, Susana, Liza Forbes and Runge, Kym (2020). GLENCON 6 (Part II) – Addendum B, ToF-SIMS Analysis. Brisbane, Australia: Sustainable Minerals Institute.
Forbes, Liza, Tungapalan, Kate, Brito e Abreu, Susana and Runge, Kym (2020). Glencon 6 (Part II) Report. Brisbane, Australia: Sustainable Minerals Institute.
Kym Runge, Susana Brito e Abreu and Cathy Evans (2018). Glencon 6 – strategies for improved MgO depression in the copper concentrator. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Sustainable Minerals Institute.