Jennifer Broadhurst was the founding Director of the Mining Dust and Health Network and currently holds the position of Emeritus Professor and Senior Scholar at UCT. With more than 40 years’ experience spanning the mining industry and academia, she remains actively involved in research and education on environmental and other sustainability issues relevant to the minerals sector, with a special interest in developing inter- and trans-disciplinary capacity towards addressing concerns like mine dust.

Background

Jennifer Broadhurst has more than 40 years research and development experience in the field of mineral’s beneficiation within various industry, consultancy and academic organisations. With a background in fundamental process and environmental chemistry, Jennifer’s research interests over the past 25 years have expanded to include the broader sustainability challenges (environmental, economic and social) facing the resource extraction sector and the inter-generation burdens these places on mining communities, particularly in the South African and African contexts. Current research collaborations with academics within, and external to, UCT span across several disciplines, including geographical and geological sciences, social sciences, law, health, and economics. She also continues to be actively involved in developing inter- and trans-disciplinary human and research capacity through her teaching and post-graduate student supervision and convenes the Leaders in Extractives and African Development (LEAD) and Mineral Resources and Sustainable Development CPD programmes. Prior to her retirement in 2025, Jennifer held several leadership roles within UCT, including co-director of the Minerals to Metals Initiative (2015-2025), Research Coordinator and EXCO member of the Department of Chemical Engineering (2020-2023), Interim SARChI holder for

Bioprocess Engineering (2019-2022), and Director of the UKRI-funded GCRF Mine Dust and Health Network (2019-2022). Jennifer was a finalist for the 2019/2020 National Science and Technology Fund (NSTF) Kambule award in recognition of my contributions to science, engineering and technology (SET) and innovation, and received the e-wisely Exceptional Woman in Sustainability award 2021.

Since joining academia in 2008 Jennifer has supervised 31 masters and 12 PhD students. She has co-edited 2 books and authored 8 book chapters, 40 accredited journal articles, 33 peer-reviews conference papers and in excess of 100 technical reports.

EMPLOYMENT

Current Positions

· Emeritus Professor: Department of Chemical Engineering, UCT

· Senior Scholar: Minerals to Metals Initiative, Department of Chemical Engineering, UCT

Previous Positions

· Professor: Department of Chemical Engineering, UCT (9 years)

· Deputy Director: Minerals to Metals, UCT (10 years)

· Research Director: Department of Chemical Engineering, UCT (4 years)

· Interim NRF South African Research Chair: Bioprocess Engineering, UCT (4 years)

· Research Fellow: Department of Chemical Engineering, UCT (9 years)

· Consulting process and environmental chemist: self-employed (15 years)

· Principal Research Metallurgist: Billiton Pty Ltd (10 years)

· Scientist: Process Chemistry Division, Atomic Energy Corporation of South Africa (4 years)

RESEARCH PROFILE

Jennifer’s research focuses primarily on the development of innovative and holistic approaches for mitigating the environmental and associated socio-economic impacts from the primary mineral extraction sector, and optimizing the efficient utilization of minerals, as well as other resources associated with their extraction (water, energy, land). Current research topics include: mine closure and post-closure land-use; mine dust characterisation and risk analysis; mine water accounting; mine-environment-community relationships and engagement; re-purposing and down-stream processing of large volume mine waste; recovery of value from acid mine drainage; development of tools and metrics for performance assessment of mineral resource systems; acid rock drainage prediction and mitigation.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Koovarjee B., Becker M., Broadhurst J. and von Holdt J. Spatial framework for assessing chronic containment risks in tailings storage facilities: A case study from South Africa. Cleaner Waste Systems. Available on-line 27 May 2026.

Pai S., James J., Deeksha P., Broadhurst, J., Carr-Wilson S. and Ewing, J. Coal Value Chain Repurposing in India, South Africa and the United States: Options and Pathways. The Electricity Journal. Available on-line 21 January 2026.

Wills, N., Cohen, B., Broadhurst, J., Burton, J., James, J., Pai, S. A Climate Blindspot? Coal Mine Methane in South Africa. Swaniti Global, 2025.

Stander H-M., Du S., Mokolmela R. and Broadhurst J.L. An integrated approach for waste repurposing and environmental remediation in the South African coal mining industry. Mine Closure 2025, Lulea, Sweden, 23-25 September, 2025.

Stander H-M. and Broadhurst J.L. (2025) Conceptualising a regionally integrated approach for the valorisation of coal mining-related waste: A case study in the Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. 21st International Coal Preparation Congress (ICPC XXI), Sun City, South Africa, 12-16 October, 2025.

Opitz A. K. B., Harrison S.T.L., Broadhurst J.L. and Becker M. A systematic approach for the characterisation of potential elemental risks associated with sulphide-bearing mine waste: A gold waste rock case study. Minerals Engineering. Available on-line 1 June 2025.

Stander H-M, Harrison S.T.L. and Broadhurst J.L. Early-stage design and development of mine waste valorisation technologies with expert input. Journal of Cleaner Production. Available on-line 24 February 2025.

Moyo A., Amaral Filho J., Harrison S.T.L. and Broadhurst J.L. Acid mine drainage and metal(loid) risk potential of South African coal processing waste. Minerals Engineering. Available on-line 14 July 2024.

Folifac L., Ameh AE., Broadhurst J., Petrik L. and Ojumu TV Iron nanoparticles prepared from South African acid mine drainage for the treatment of methylene blue in wastewater. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. Available on-line 27 May 2024.

Kamanzi C., Becker M., von Holdt J.; Hsu N-J., Konečný P., Broadhurst J. and Jacobs, M. (2024) Machine learning demonstrates dominance of physical characteristics over particle composition in coal dust toxicity. Environ. Sci. Technol., 58 (3):1636–1647, 2024.

Cole M., Chimbganda T. Esau M., Abrams A. and Broadhurst J. Developing Mine Closure Risk Ratings and a Post-closure Opportunity Framework for South Africa. South African Water Research Commission Report No. TT 930/2, ISBN 978-0-6392-0582-3, 2024.

Amaral Filho, J., Gcayiya M., Smart M., Kotsiopoulos T., Broadhurst J. and Harrison S. Repurposing Pyrite from Coal Waste. South African Water Research Commission Report No. 3106/1/23, ISBN 978-0-6392-0583-0, 2024