About:
Dr. Arnold is a professor of practice in mining engineering at Penn State, with over 30 years of experience in the coal and mineral industries. She holds a B.S. (Mining Engineering), M.S. (Mineral Processing), and Ph.D. (Mineral Processing) from Penn State. For over 20 years, she represented several coal and mineral processing equipment companies in the U.S. and consulted with coal companies and engineering contractors to develop flowsheets for new coal preparation plants and plant retrofits. Much of her research experience has focused on coal properties and their effects on coal processing, especially in the areas of froth flotation and dewatering. She is a recognized international expert in coal preparation.
Arnold currently works with Penn State’s Center for Critical Minerals (C2M), conducting research related to the physical beneficiation of coal underclays and other horizons that contain rare earth elements and other critical minerals. Her other research is focused on respirable dust and the beneficial use/revalorization of mine tailings.
Arnold is a Penn State Alumni Fellow, Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME) Fellow, and American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers Honorary Member. She served as the 2018 SME President and is a registered professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
GRANTS
- Gladys Snyder Education Grant, Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, 2022
- George H. Deike Jr. Research Grant, Penn State College of Earth & Mineral Sciences, 2023
Recent Activities:
Selected Technical Papers and Presentations
- "The Effect of Clay Slimes on Coal Flotation, Part I: The Nature of the Clay," International Journal of Mineral Processing, Vol. 17, pp. 225-242, 1986, with F.F. Aplan. Presented at SME-AIME Annual Meeting, New York, NY, 1985.
- "The Effect of Clay Slimes on Coal Flotation, Part II: The Role of Water Quality," International Journal of Mineral Processing, Vol. 17, 243-260, 1986, with F.F. Aplan. Presented at SME-AIME Annual Meeting, New York, NY, 1985.
- "The Hydrophobicity of Coal Macerals," Fuel, Vol. 68, pp. 651-658, 1989, with F. F. Aplan. Presented at Engineering Foundation Conference, Henniker, NH, 1985.
- “Simulation of Dewatering Devices for Predicting the Moisture Content of Coals,” Coal Preparation, Vol. 20, 1999, pp. 35 - 54.
- “Use of residence-time distribution techniques to analyze industrial-scale froth-flotation circuits,” with E.C. Dowling, Jr., R. R. Klimpel, and F.F. Aplan, Minerals & Metallurgical Processing, Vol. 16, No. 1, February 1999, pp. 18 - 26.
- “Coal Properties and Challenges for Fines Processing,” Challenges in Fine Coal Processing, Dewatering, and Disposal, M.S. Klima, B.J. Arnold and P.J. Bethell, Eds., Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, Inc., 2012, proceedings of a Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, October 2012, pp. 47-66.
- “The Reprocessing and Revalorization of Critical Minerals in Mine Tailings,” with Caden Vitti, Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration, January 1, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1007/s42461-021-00524-6.
- “Preface to the MME Special Focus Issue in Memory of Emeritus Professor Frank F. Aplan: Between Theory and Practice,” Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration, January 3, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1007/s42461-021-00530-8.
- “Understanding coal quality and the critical importance of comprehensive coal analyses,” International Journal of Coal Geology, Invited Review Paper with James C. Hower, Robert B. Finkelman, Cortland F. Eble, V 263, 2022, 104102.
- “(Mis)adventures in Fine Coal Processing from a US Perspective,” Arthur Le Page Memorial Lecture, in Vince, A. (Ed.), Proceedings of the Eighteenth Australian Coal Preparation
- Conference, (2021) Australian Coal Preparation Society, Brisbane and Pokolbin, Paper 4.
- “Recovery of Valuable Commodities from Tailings Streams—No Molecule Left Behind,” Proceedings of SMART 2020: Safety, Health, and Environment: Sustainable Practices, Department of Mining Engineering, IIT Kharagpur, 1 June 2021.
- “Coal Formation,” The Coal Handbook, Towards Cleaner Production, Volume 1, Chapter 2, Osborne, Ed., 2013, Woodhead Publishing Limited, pp. 31-52.
- “Coal formation, coal types and coalification,” The Clean Coal Handbook, Volume 1, Chapter 1, Second Edition, Elsevier, 2023.
Invited/Keynote Presentations
- “Sustainable Development and the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration,” Beneficiation of Phosphates VI, Kunming, China, Feb 20-25, 2011.
- “Recovery of Valuable Commodities from Tailings Streams—No Molecule Left Behind,” Mines to Mill: Technology Towards Zero Waste Generation Session for the International Webinar on Smart Mining and Advanced Resources Technology—2020, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (December 16-18).
- “(Mis)adventures in Fine Coal Processing from a US Perspective,” Arthur Le Page Memorial Lecture, Eighteenth Australian Coal Preparation Conference, Australian Coal Preparation Society, Brisbane and Pokolbin, presented virtually March 16, 2021
- “The Perception of Mining: Emphasis on Coal,” Khanitra: SME India Section Annual Meeting, June 28, 2021.
- “Ellen Swallow Richards: My Hero,” AIME 150th Anniversary Celebration, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, October 2, 2020.
Publications:
Selected Technical Papers and Presentations
- "The Effect of Clay Slimes on Coal Flotation, Part I: The Nature of the Clay," International Journal of Mineral Processing, Vol. 17, pp. 225-242, 1986, with F.F. Aplan. Presented at SME-AIME Annual Meeting, New York, NY, 1985.
- "The Effect of Clay Slimes on Coal Flotation, Part II: The Role of Water Quality," International Journal of Mineral Processing, Vol. 17, 243-260, 1986, with F.F. Aplan. Presented at SME-AIME Annual Meeting, New York, NY, 1985.
- "The Hydrophobicity of Coal Macerals," Fuel, Vol. 68, pp. 651-658, 1989, with F. F. Aplan. Presented at Engineering Foundation Conference, Henniker, NH, 1985.
- “Simulation of Dewatering Devices for Predicting the Moisture Content of Coals,” Coal Preparation, Vol. 20, 1999, pp. 35 - 54.
- "Use of Petrologic Analysis and Flotation Kinetics to Evaluate Froth Flotation Products," Processing and Utilization of High Sulfur Coals III, R. Markuszewski and T.D. Wheelock, Eds., Elsevier, New York, 1990, pp. 221-236, with F.F. Aplan. Presented at Processing and Utilization of High Sulfur Coals III, Ames, IA, 1989.
- "A Comparison of Laboratory- and Commercial-Scale Coal Froth Flotation Using Models of Rate and Residence Time," Advances in Coal and Mineral Processing Using Flotation, S. Chander and R.R. Klimpel, Eds., SME-AIME, Littleton, CO, 1989, pp. 130-143, with F.F. Aplan. Presented at Engineering Foundation Conference, Palm Coast, FL, 1989.
- “Coal Properties and Challenges for Fines Processing,” Challenges in Fine Coal Processing, Dewatering, and Disposal, M.S. Klima, B.J. Arnold and P.J. Bethell, Eds., Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, Inc., 2012, proceedings of a Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, October 2012, pp. 47-66.
- “Coal Formation,” The Coal Handbook, Towards Cleaner Production, Volume 1, Chapter 2, Osborne, Ed., 2013, Woodhead Publishing Limited, pp. 31-52.
- Development of a Coal Handleability Index, EPRI Report TR-103196, Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA, June 1995.
- A Guide to Coal Handling, EPRI Report TR-105110, Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA, June 1995.
- Development of a Coal Blending Model, ESEERCO Report EP 89-37, Empire State Electric Energy Research Corporation, New York, NY, August 1994.
Invited/Keynote Presentations
- “Sustainable Development and the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration,” Beneficiation of Phosphates VI, Kunming, China, Feb 20-25, 2011.
- “(Mis)adventures in Fine Coal Processing from a US Perspective,” Arthur Le Page Lecture, Australian Coal Processing Society, Scheduled for Tamworth, NSW, March 2021.
Books Serving as Editor
- Designing the Coal Preparation Plant of the Future, with M.S. Klima and P.J. Bethell, Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, Inc., 2007, ISBN-13: 978-0-87335-257-4. Proceedings of a Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, October 2007.
- Challenges in Fine Coal Processing, Dewatering, and Disposal, with M.S. Klima and P.J. Bethell, Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, Inc., 2012, ISBN-13: 978-0-87335-363-2. Proceedings of a Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, October 2012.
- Challenges and Opportunities in Coal Preparation—2019, with M.S. Klima and P.J. Bethell, Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, Inc., 2019, Proceedings of a Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, October 2019.
Awards:
- Howard N. Eavenson Award, SME-AIME, 2023
- American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers, Honorary Member, 2021
- Ford City Area Hall of Fame, 2015 Inductee
- Percy W. Nicholls Award, SME/ASME, 2014
- Frank F. Aplan Award, SME-AIME, 2013
- Penn State Alumni Fellow, 2011
- Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences Alumni Achievement Award, 2008
- Robert Stefanko Distinguished Achievement Award, Penn State Mining Engineering, 2007
- Fellow (Distinguished Member), Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., Class of 2006
- Distinguished Service Award, Coal & Energy Division, SME, 2006
- Chairperson Award, Coal & Energy Division, SME, 2003
- J. W. Woomer Young Engineer Award, Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Coal Division, 1992