Mr Thomas Jones
Research Officer
School of the Environment
Researcher biography
Thomas Ray Jones is a geomicrobiologist specializing in carbon bio-mineralisation, bioleaching, and AMD treatment – with a more recent focus on precipitating bio-carbonate in mined material as a method for carbon sequestration. Thomas' work focusses on the role of micro-organisms through the entire life-of-mine, from exploration through to extraction and remediation. This includes the upscaling of microbially based techniques to be used in industrial settings. Thomas has worked across a range of commodities around the world (REE/Ni in Australia, Fe in Brazil), most recently working with De Beers Group in South Africa. Thomas utilises numerous advanced techniques to understand the complex microbe-mineral interactions that take place in nature, being highly experienced in Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-ray Fluorescence Mapping.
Journal Articles
Jones, Thomas Ray, Poitras, Jordan, Levett, Alan, Langendam, Andrew, Vietti, Andrew and Southam, Gordon (2023). Accelerated carbonate biomineralisation of Venetia diamond mine coarse residue deposit (CRD) material – a field trial study. Science of the Total Environment, 893 164853, 164853. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164853
Jones, Thomas Ray, Poitras, Jordan, Gagen, Emma, Paterson, David John and Southam, Gordon (2023). Accelerated mineral bio-carbonation of coarse residue kimberlite material by inoculation with photosynthetic microbial mats. Geochemical Transactions, 24 (1) 1. doi: 10.1186/s12932-023-00082-4
Jones, T. R., Poitras, J., Paterson, D. and Southam, G. (2023). Historical diamond mine waste reveals carbon sequestration resource in kimberlite residue. Chemical Geology, 617 121270, 121270. doi: 10.1016/j.chemgeo.2022.121270
Zeyen, Nina, Wang, Baolin, Wilson, Siobhan A., Paulo, Carlos, Stubbs, Amanda R., Power, Ian M., Steele-Maclnnis, Matthew, Lanzirotti, Antonio, Newville, Matthew, Paterson, David J., Hamilton, Jessica L., Jones, Thomas R., Turvey, Connor C., Dipple, Gregory M. and Southam, Gordon (2022). Cation exchange in smectites as a new approach to mineral carbonation. Frontiers in Climate, 4 913632, 1-21. doi: 10.3389/fclim.2022.913632
Tan, Ling, Jones, Thomas, Xie, Jianping, Liu, Xinxing and Southam, Gordon (2022). Laboratory-based bacterial weathering of the Merensky reef and its impact on platinum group mineral migration. Economic Geology, 117 (4), 801-812. doi: 10.5382/econgeo.4893
De Oliveira, David M. P., Keller, Bernhard, Hayes, Andrew J., Ong, Cheryl-Lynn Y., Harbison-Price, Nichaela, El-Deeb, Ibrahim M., Li, Gen, Keller, Nadia, Bohlmann, Lisa, Brouwer, Stephan, Turner, Andrew G., Cork, Amanda J., Jones, Thomas R., Paterson, David L., McEwan, Alastair G., Davies, Mark R., McDevitt, Christopher A., Itzstein, Mark von and Walker, Mark J. (2022). Neurodegenerative disease treatment drug PBT2 breaks intrinsic polymyxin resistance in Gram-positive bacteria. Antibiotics, 11 (4) 449, 449. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics11040449
Tan, Ling, Jones, Thomas, Poitras, Jordan, Xie, Jianping, Liu, Xinxing and Southam, Gordon (2020). Biochemical synthesis of palladium nanoparticles: The influence of chemical fixatives used in electron microscopy on nanoparticle formatton and catalytic performance. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 398 122945, 122945. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122945
Conference Papers
Bhowany, Kamini, Han, Zhengdong, Parbhakar-Fox, Anita, Jones, Thomas R., Farias, Pablo G., Whelan, Jo A., Close, Dorothy, Thorne, Jane P. and Fraser, Geoff (2023). Secondary prospectivity of mine waste in the Pine Creek region: The search for critical metals. AGES 2023, Alice Springs, NT Australia, 17-19th April 2023. Alice Springs, NT Australia: Resourcing the Territory.
Southam, Gordon, Jones, Thomas, Poitras, Jordan, Wilson, Siobhan, Ndlovu, Senzeni, Vietti, Andrew, Senzani, Khange and Paterson, David (2022). The critical role of bacteria in mineral carbonation of kimberlite. Goldschmidt 2022, Honolulu, HI, United States, 10 - 15 July 2022. France: European Association of Geochemistry. doi: 10.46427/gold2022.11771
Zeyen, Nina, Wang, Baolin, Wilson, Siobhan, Russell, Wyatt, Arizaleta, Maria, Janzen, Jared, Evans, Sydney, Paulo, Carlos, Power, Ian, Stubbs, Amanda, Jones, Thomas, Senzani, Khangeziwe, Ndlovu, Senzeni, Vietti, Andrew and Southam, Gordon (2022). Microbial CO2 removal into carbonate sediments using cation exchange leachates from kimberlite mine residues — results from Project CarbonVault. Goldschmidt 2022, Honolulu, HI, United States, 10 - 15 July 2022. France: European Association of Geochemistry. doi: 10.46427/gold2022.10973
Wang, Baolin, Zeyen, Nina, Arizaleta, Maria, Wilson, Siobhan, Paulo, Carlos, Power, Ian, Stubbs, Amanda, Senzani, Khangeziwe, Ndlovu, Senzeni, Vietti, Andrew, Jones, Thomas and Southam, Gordon (2022). Investigating microbially-mediated mineral carbonation during acid leaching of processed kimberlites: results from project CarbonVault. Goldschmidt 2022, Honolulu, HI, United States, 10 - 15 July 2022. France: European Association of Geochemistry. doi: 10.46427/gold2022.11328
Honda-McNeil, Makoto, Wilson, Siobhan, Locock, Andrew, Mililli, Benjamin, Zeyen, Nina, Wang, Baolin, Turvey, Connor, Vessey, Colton, Patel, Avni, Hamilton, Jessica, Howard, Daryl, Paterson, David, Southam, Gordon, Poitras, Jordan, Jones, Thomas and Jowitt, Simon (2022). Transition metal mobility and recoverability from weathered serpentinite and serpentinite skarn tailings from Lord Brassey Mine, Australia and Record Ridge, British Columbia, Canada. Goldschmidt 2022, Honolulu, HI, United States, 10 - 15 July 2022. France: European Association of Geochemistry. doi: 10.46427/gold2022.9650
Honda-McNeil, Makoto, Wang, Baolin, Wilson, Siobhan, Mililli, Benjamin, Zeyen, Nina, Turvey, Connor, Vessey, Colton, Patel, Avni, Locock, Andrew, Hamilton, Jessica, Paterson, David, Southam, Gordon, Poitras, Jordan, Jones, Thomas and Jowitt, Simon (2021). Transition metal mobility and recovery from weathered serpentinite and serpentinite skarn tailings from Lord Brassey Mine, Australia and Record Ridge, British Columbia, Canada. Goldschmidt 2021, Virtual, Global, 4 - 9 July 2021. Paris, France: European Association of Geochemistry. doi: 10.7185/gold2021.4827
Theses
Jones, Thomas Ray (2023). Biologically enhanced mineral carbonation of kimberlite as a strategy to create a carbon neutral mine.. PhD Thesis, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/fe439ee
Jones, Thomas Ray (2017). The role of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans in accelerated weathering of Rare Earth Element bearing apatite.. Honours Thesis, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Australia.