Rare Earth PermanentMagnets and green Dreams: Sri Lanka's Rare Earth Odyssey for Harnessing the Hidden Treasure

About This Event

Rare Earth Permanent Magnets and Green Dreams: Sri Lanka ’ s Rare Earth Odyssey for Harnessing the Hidden Treasure Presenter: Eng. Nimila Dushyantha BScEng (Moratuwa), MPhil (Moratuwa) Lecturer at the Department of Applied Earth Sciences, Uva Wellassa University DATE: Thursday 22 February 2024 TIME: 5.00pm AWST; 8.00pm AEDT; 2.30pm SL Time MODE: Webinar Zoom Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84415153482? pwd=VXl3MTIrNk1sK2lDSWRhS1VadUp4dz09 Meeting ID: 844 1515 3482 Passcode: 329361 Presentation Highlights: · How does global demand emphasise the need for sustainable solutions? · Which deposit emerges as Sri Lanka's primary rare earth source? · How are challenges in REE availability being strategically navi- gated? · Which locations stand out as key rare earth sources in Sri Lanka? · Can technological and environmental hurdles be overcome for exploitation? · What makes the Eppawala phosphate deposit crucial for REEs? · Do upgraded extraction techniques unlock Sri Lanka's global REE potential? About the speaker Nimila Dushyantha is a Mining Engineer who graduated from the Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa, earn- ing a BSc Engineering Honors degree with a specialization in Mining and Mineral Processing in 2015. Following gradua- tion, he successfully completed a Master of Philosophy (M Phil) at the Department of Earth Resources Engineering in 2019. Initiating his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in 2019 in the same department, he specialised in minerals processing, focusing on the development of extraction techniques for Rare Earth Elements (REEs) from diverse geological sources. One of his PhD publication was selected as the leading article of the week by the Global Rare Earth Industry Association (REIA) in Belgium and included it in their weekly newsletter. In 2020, Nimila ’ s expertise led to an invitation for a lecture on REEs and uranium processing at the University of Science & Technology Beijing, China. In 2021, he was invited to deliver a keynote speech on REE magnets and their future challenges at the 9th International Conference on Metallurgy Technology and Materials in Zhengzhou, China. Recognizing his outstanding contributions, he was awarded the P.G. Cooray Medal as the Young Geoscientist of the year 2021 by the Geological Society of Sri Lanka (GSSL). In 2023, he participated as a speaker in a webinar on REE supply chain diversification organized by the journal Minerals and Mineral Materials. Eng. Nimila Dushyantha actively engages in collaborative research with Monash University Malaysia, REIA in Belgium, Ceylon Waste Management Pvt Ltd, and Lanka Phosphate Ltd – Eppawala. Currently, he serves as a Lecturer at the Department of Applied Earth Sci- ences, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Uva Wellassa University. Mining Engineering Subcommittee Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka - Western Australia Chapter