Selena blames
‘unhealthy food’
v Page 13
Women suffer
from binge eating
v Page 27
Green Lantern emerges from
obscurity, critics pounce
v Page 13
Jenna Fischer worked as
telephone psychic
v Page 28
Weak backs and shoulders
ail computer workers
v Page 27
Fea ures
Saturday, June 18, 2011
A study of laterite and its economic significance
Pseudo-layered laterite1
v Initial findings confirm
nickel deposits in
Oman mountains
v Further research needed
to assess economic
feasibility
S
ultan Qaboos University has recently conducted a
comprehensive study of laterite in Oman. The project, launched
by Dr Salah al Khirbash, at Earth
Science Department, College of
Science, has focused on four areas
with nine laterite profiles through
several field trips. These are Ibra (1
profile), East Ibra (3 profiles), Al
Russayl (3 profiles) and Tiwi (2
profiles).
The Sultanate is characterised
with a unique geological variation
dating back to about 800 million
years, says Dr Khirbash. In most
areas of Oman, a period of subaerial weathering of ophiolite under
most tropical conditions produced
regolithic and lateritic deposits
with nickel and cobalt.
Laterites
Laterites are the products of
intensive and long lasting tropical
rock weathering which is intensified by high rainfall and elevated
temperatures. They are an important source of many metal ores,
particularly nickel, cobalt, manganese, iron and aluminium. As
to their geographical distribution,
Dr Khirbash explains that laterites
mainly occur within a belt bounded
approximately by latitudes 22°N
and S, normally associated with
active Cretaceous to Late Tertiary
plate collision zones (Indonesia,
the Philippines, New Caledonia
and Oman). They are also found
in cratonic settings developed on
komatites and ultramafic rocks of
Archean to Proterozoic in age as in
Australia, Brazil and West Africa.
Economic Potentials
As to the economic value of the
laterite soil and rocks, Dr Khirbash
points out that the nickel laterites
host most of the world’s terrestrial
nickel resources, comprising about
40 per cent of the world's nickel
production, and constitute 70 per
cent of the continental resources.
His work was aimed at examining
the geological and geochemical evolution of the four lateritic areas in
the Oman Mountains and assessing
their economic potentials.
Methodology
The research approach was based
on collecting some one hundred
and twenty rock and soil samples
from lateritic profiles throughout
the studied areas within the Oman
Mountains, says Dr Khirbash. Each
sample (about 1 to 5 kgs) was taken
along the vertical profiles from the
lower partially fresh protolith upward to the lateritic zones. Ninety-nine samples representing the
different zones were selected for
geochemical analyses. These samples were broken into small pieces
using a hydraulic rock splitter and
dried out at 100°C for about one
hour. The rock chips or soil samples were then pulverised using a
planetary mill Pulverisette 5" agategrinding bowl and 7 balls for about
30 to 45 minutes. Each sample was
Nickel
analysed for 29 elements by applying relevant techniques. Forty-four
samples were selected for Electron
Microprobe analyses.
Results
Dr Khirbash clarifies that field
observations and mineralogical
composition indicated that generally four distinct zones were identified from the base of the profiles
upward: a) Protolith; b) Saprolite
laterite; c) Oxide laterite and d)
Clay laterite. The saprolite laterite
developed well in areas with slow
tectonic uplift, low water table and
long period of weathering. The geochemical behaviours of elements
both major (silicon, iron, aluminium, magnesium) and minor (nickel, cobalt, manganese) were similar
to the development of many world
laterite profiled, as this material
renovation led to the formation of
the oxide and clay laterite zones at
the upper part of the profiles.
He explains that significant
enrichment of nickel and cobalt
occurred through laterisation processes, where nickel might reach up
to 1.91 per cent in Ibra profiles,
0.97 per cent in East Ibra, 1.64 per
cent in Al Russayl profiles and 0.66
per cent in the Tiwi profiles.
Electron Microprobe analyses
have shown that chlorite, kaolinite, nepouite, willemseite and
possibly goethite are the main host
for nickel concentrations, says Dr
Khirbash, adding that these results
confirm that the investigated laterite is dominated by magnesiumnickel silicate and possibly the clay
nickel laterite Deposit.
“The highest nickel concentration (10.35 per cent nickel oxide)
was detected in the nickel-chlorite
from Tiwi profile. Iron oxide also
showed some nickel enrichment
(5.31 per cent nickel oxide) from
Al Russayl profile”.
The overall findings suggest
that the laterites bear similar geological, mineralogical, and geo-
Dr Salah sampling the lighter
lateritic layer1
chemical characteristics to many
world nickel bearing laterites. This
is extremely encouraging further
research as to evaluating the main
nickel bearing minerals and estimating their grade and tonnage for
economic purposes, Dr Khirbash
concludes.
Uppermost part of the laterites
Innovation opens up new prospects for excellence
T
Shaikha al Akhzamiyya: Novelty and applicability
are criteria for patentability
he Innovation Affairs Department (IAD), one of the
Deanship of Research units,
is part of the recent SQU research
network that focuses primarily
on innovation policy matters and
promoting scientific discoveries.
Being the innovation arm of the
university, it seeks to achieve the
university’s mission of sustaining
plans for scientific research and
community service through capitalising on research outcomes and
fostering SQU links with various
public sectors and particularly the
industry.
The IAD comprises three sections:
a) Intellectual Property (IP) which
is concerned with IP valuation,
protection and patent registration,
b) Students Initiative Support providing guidance and advice to
student inventors on successful
IP protection and commercialisation, and
c) Marketing responsible for commercialising SQU intellectual
properties, inventions and research expertise.
Highlighting the role assumed
by the IAD, Professor Reginald
Victor, Dean of Research at SQU,
says it only echoes the powerful
position of the university as a public academic institution in-charge
of sustaining local community development. Being a fertile source
of ideas, know-how and scientific inventions, the university can
make considerable contributions
into Oman’s social and economic
progress.
Responsibilities and Objectives
The IAD maintains a commitment to exploring innovations and
protecting intellectual properties
of the university in the areas of
research collaboration with other
agencies, says the dean. It also cultivates close relationships with the
market and explores possibilities for
supporting local industries through
research capabilities, which would
offer applied research opportunities
for both researchers and students.
Further, the unit provides advice
and consultation as to IP policies
and assists the university to develop
technology incubators for inventors
in co-ordination with other parties.
Professor Victor states that the
IAD pursues the twin goals of invention and technology transfer to
the community and marketing university innovations and research
expertise locally, regionally and
internationally.
Coherent Policy
As to the IAD plans of action, Director in-charge Shaikha
al Akhzamiyya points out that the
policy is similar to that followed
by other technology transfer offices at other universities which
are concerned with reaching out
to the industry. In this regard, she
goes on, the department strives towards transferring research-based
discoveries of both academics and
students to the market, protecting
their IP rights and preserving SQU
rights for that matter. It serves as
a link between SQU departments
and other parties benefiting from
the university research expertise.
It also offers those parties technical
information and advice in order to
promote mutual co-operation.
The department establishes industrial and business links in line
with the market demands and objectives of five-year development
plans. Moreover, it negotiates licensing agreements with industry
taking into account the licensing
profits and shares of both the inventors and university.
IP Disclosure and Patentability
Al Akhzamiyya outlines the
process of IP disclosure that starts
with the inventor presenting the
invention to the IAD for consideration with respect to merits and
potential acceptance pursuant to
relevant university regulations.
In order for an invention to be
patentable, she distinguishes the
three criteria of novelty, inventiveness and industrial applicability. An
invention is novel if it is not found
at a previous date or anywhere in the
world.
This requires a novelty search
by the patent applicant in patent
databases and other documents. Inventiveness involves an inventive
step where an invention must not
be obvious to anybody having ordinary intelligence and knowledge on
the subject matter. And an invention
must have an industrial application
and utility.
As for the incentives for inventors, Al Akhzamiyya indicates that
the university has an obligation to
devote resources to covering IP
and patenting costs, marketing the
invention, and providing guidance
for appropriate commercialisation.
Having found licensees for the invention, the university will split
profits with the inventor.
The IAD official disclosed that
the department was evaluating the
patentability of a number of research ideas and innovations submitted by SQU researchers, and one
scholar had been granted a patent.
Prof Reginald Victor: We
encourage researchers to
generate creative ideas
Innovation Awareness Strategy
The IAD has put a great deal of
effort into raising SQU community
awareness of existing resources, the
importance of IP and mechanism
of scientific innovation protection,
says Al Akhzamiyya, adding that
her department has managed to
establish links with other relevant
boards beyond the university including the Research Council, Industrial Innovation Centre, Knowledge Oasis, Directorate-General of
Information Technology and Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The IAD is concerned exclusively
with the innovative output of SQU
faculty members, technicians and
students. Other researchers can
approach other Omani boards, she
concludes.