Trace Minerals Research Expands Advisory Board

OGDEN, Utah—Trace Minerals Research (TMR) named David S. Butts, certified chemical engineer, to its science and research advisory board due to his lifetime of experience in the design, operation, and extraction of minerals from the Great Salt Lake through solar evaporation.

Butts has more than 45 years of practical engineering experience, 40 of which have been exclusively devoted to the extraction of minerals and salts from lakes, oceans, salars and underground deposits. Butts consulted with TMR and designed the new evaporation ponds at its sister company’s new mineral harvesting facility, the opening of which was recently announced. Butts’ design of TMR’s sister company’s new evaporation ponds will allow it to harvest minerals from the Great Salt Lake in a fraction of the time. A shorter harvesting process means less time the minerals are exposed to the environment, which means a cleaner, higher-quality product.

“We are elated to have the experience, background and expertise of Mr. Butts on our advisory board", said Scott Perkes, managing partner of TMR. “Since he started consulting with us and designing our sister company’s mineral harvesting facility, we were amazed by his vast knowledge of solar evaporation technology, and we knew he would be a perfect addition to our advisory board. We are grateful he accepted our invitation, and we really look forward to working with him in the future."

 “I’m very excited to be on the advisory board and to be involved on the harvesting side of things," Butts said. “I’m really eager to contribute in every way I can."

Butts received his bachelor’s of science in chemical engineering from the University of Utah in 1960 and is a Certified Chemical Engineer by the American Institute of Chemists. Butts has designed solar ponds in Argentina and China, and has supervised the building of hundreds of kilometers of solar pond dikes on every continent. He has aided in the design and operation of plants that manufacture myriad different minerals, and has consulted with clients in the United States and abroad in more than 30 countries. Butts has given training lectures in China, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Uganda, USSR and the United States, and has published more than 30 books and papers combined. He has also been awarded five patents. Butts received The George Harris Chairman’s Award for engineering excellence in 1995. He is an honorary Research Fellow at the Center of Saline Lakes, Academy of Geological Science, China. He is also a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemists.