CENTA funded – Harnessing eco-friendly Deep Eutectic Solvents for carbon capture and catalytic utilisation

Project highlights

• At least 4 months of fieldwork in Zimbabwe.
• Work with an exploration company to help develop sustainable mineral resources.
• Employ a variety of mineralogical and geochemical techniques to measure compositional and isotope data on mineralised samples.

Overview

The Filabusi belt, Zimbabwe, is an Archean granite-greenstone belt that contains orogenic gold deposits, some of which are associated with significant enrichment in a variety of sought after critical metals, including tungsten, molybdenum and bismuth. Tungsten is particularly abundant in some areas as scheelite (CaWO4) yet, when viewed globally, tungsten is rarely mined from Precambrian rocks, suggesting that Filabusi is unusual. The critical metal abundance varies spatially across the belt but the reason for this is not clear. Understanding what causes these anomalous critical metal enrichments and how they vary spatially will a). facilitate exploration for deposits where these critical metals could be co-produced from gold operations, and b). can be used to provide added dimensions to understand what controls the localisation of the gold mineralisation for exploration targeting. For example, scheelite has different controls on solubility compared to gold and if they are precipitated together this narrows down the possible conditions. In addition, scheelite can provide a wealth of information about the mineralising fluids since REE and other trace elements are easily substituted in the structure making it amenable to source tracing and Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd dating. 

Variations in the contents of critical metals in different gold deposits could relate to fluid source – it is interesting that some tungsten-rich deposits appear to be spatially related to granitic intrusions. Alternatively, differences in trapping mechanisms for metals between deposits may be important, due perhaps to host rock composition, structural controls, or emplacement depth and timing. 

In this project you will work together with CASE partner Kavango Resources Plc to characterise and understand the variations in critical metal content of gold mineralisation across the belt to produce a large-scale mineralisation model. Detailed work will be carried out on Kavango licences and other licences where Kavango can arrange access. There has been little geological research in Zimbabwe since the 1990s, making this an area fruitful for research employing modern ideas such as a minerals systems approach. Mining accounts for over 70% of Zimbabwe’s much needed export earnings and it is estimated that for every direct job in the gold mining sector another eight jobs are created elsewhere in the economy. This project will help develop a more sustainable mineral supply by facilitating the co-production of critical metals from gold deposits. 

Methodology

• Desk study to populate a GIS for the belt incorporating all relevant literature data and new data developed within this project.
• Fieldwork to map key localities and log drillcore for mineralisation, host lithology, hydrothermal alteration, structures, and age relationships and to collect samples from outcrop, mined material and drillcore.
• Optical mineralogical and textural analysis of samples augmented by µ-XRF scanning of cut faces.
• Mineralogical and microtextural analysis of thin polished sections using transmitted and reflected light petrography.
• SEM analysis of mineral chemistry and microstructure.
• Analysis of geochemical data to understand characteristics, correlations and spatial variations within the mineralisation.
• Fluid inclusion microthermometry on selected samples to determine fluid density, temperature and chemistry.
• Stable isotope (S, O, C, H) and radiogenic isotope (Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr, U-Pb) analysis of selected samples to trace fluid source(s) and provide radiometric dating of key events (*subject to successful application for funding at NERC National Environmental Isotope Facility).

Training and skills

DRs will be awarded CENTA Training Credits (CTCs) for participation in CENTA-provided and ‘free choice’ external training. One CTC can be earned per 3 hours training, and DRs must accrue 100 CTCs across the three and a half years of their PhD.  

You will become proficient in the use of analytical equipment, especially SEM, automated-SEM and µ-XRF to obtain mineral chemistry and microtextural information and the use of a microthermometry heating-freezing stage for fluid inclusion analysis. GIS training will be supported by Kavango. These skills are highly attractive to both industrial and academic employers for the green transition. You will join a thriving community of mineral resource researchers in the Centre for Sustainable Resource Extraction. 

Partners and collaboration

Kavango is a modern mineral exploration company targeting world-class base and previous metal discoveries in Zimbabwe and Botswana. Kavango is registered in London and has a company office in Bulawayo and a field camp near Filabusi. In Zimbabwe they have licences on three areas in the Filabusi belt and through a subsidiary are currently producing gold in one of them. They are currently supporting two Leicester MGeol student projects and it is anticipated that further MGeol students will work with the DR on related sub-projects. 

As a CASE partner Kavango will: co-supervise the project, host the student for a minimum of 4 months total for fieldwork in Zimbabwe, provide access to company datasets and licence areas, enable sample collection from field and drill core and cover sample shipment to the UK, fund additional laboratory work, provide field assistants, transport and accommodation during fieldwork and cover flights to and from the UK.  

Enquiries to Dr Sandy Kilpatrick – afrk1@le.ac.uk

To apply see our website https://le.ac.uk/study/research-degrees/funded-opportunities/centa-phd-studentships

Study start September 2025