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Research
Each year, the Department manages about $1,000,000
in external research funding. For calendar
year 2002, the Department was awarded nearly
$ 945, 000 in research contracts and grants.
The research emphasis of the department in recent
years has been in the areas of utilization of
coal combustion by-products (CCB), development
of coal gasification and fluidized-bed combustion
technologies specifically for mine-mouth applications,
carbon dioxide sequestration in coal seams and
development of advanced fine coal cleaning and
dewatering circuits for their near-term application
in the coal mines in the Midwestern states.
The research activities of the faculty ensure
that students are taught current, state-of-the-art
mining engineering, science, and design.
An Industrial Advisory
Board provides guidance to the applied
research activities of the Department.
Most of the research projects are externally funded by industry, federal and state agencies. The Department has well equipped laboratories for rock mechanics, mine ventilation, coal & mineral processing, carbons dioxide sequestration and coal-bed methane studies as well as environmental studies. In addition, the faculties in the Department have special facilities for conducting pilot-scale research using the high-bay facility of the Illinois Coal Development Park. The laboratories and the off-campus research facilities are used for undergraduate and graduate instruction & research.
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