Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354672
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$20,000.00
Summary
ARC Network in Mineral Processing, Extraction and Refining. The Network aims to develop long-term, collaborative research and training links between world-class researchers and research centres in mineral processing, extraction and refining. The goal is to ensure that Australia's major export industry is sustainable, environmentally acceptable and technically at the cutting edge.
Networking key researchers with complementary skills and expertise will enhance research quality, encourage a hol ....ARC Network in Mineral Processing, Extraction and Refining. The Network aims to develop long-term, collaborative research and training links between world-class researchers and research centres in mineral processing, extraction and refining. The goal is to ensure that Australia's major export industry is sustainable, environmentally acceptable and technically at the cutting edge.
Networking key researchers with complementary skills and expertise will enhance research quality, encourage a holistic approach to problem solving and support researchers to tackle big challenges, beyond their usual scope, that will transform the industry. The outcomes will be greater international competitiveness, better resource utilisation, and the incubation of new research leaders, enhancing Australia's minerals R&D infrastructure.Read moreRead less
The effect of contaminant carbon films on the leaching of gold. A major problem in cyanidation is preg-robbing, which results in severe gold losses to tailings. Too much emphasis has been placed on the blinding and characterisation of free carbon or graphite particles, instead of considering carbon or graphite as a layer on top of other ore particles. It is the aim of this project to investigate the effect of contaminant carbon layers on the leaching of gold from sulphide ores. The understanding ....The effect of contaminant carbon films on the leaching of gold. A major problem in cyanidation is preg-robbing, which results in severe gold losses to tailings. Too much emphasis has been placed on the blinding and characterisation of free carbon or graphite particles, instead of considering carbon or graphite as a layer on top of other ore particles. It is the aim of this project to investigate the effect of contaminant carbon layers on the leaching of gold from sulphide ores. The understanding of the exact role of carbon layers on mineral surfaces in both preg-robbing and leaching is essential to devise process strategies that could lead to improved extraction.Read moreRead less
Flow field evaluation of AusIron top submerged injection system. The top submerged gas injection system is widely used in the metallurgical industry in many metal refining processes. The AusIron process, which uses dual top submerged lances injection, has been developed recently for direct smelting of iron ore to produce pig iron using low quality coal as fuel and reductant. Successful implementation of the process requires optimum furnace design. This project aims to study fluid flow within the ....Flow field evaluation of AusIron top submerged injection system. The top submerged gas injection system is widely used in the metallurgical industry in many metal refining processes. The AusIron process, which uses dual top submerged lances injection, has been developed recently for direct smelting of iron ore to produce pig iron using low quality coal as fuel and reductant. Successful implementation of the process requires optimum furnace design. This project aims to study fluid flow within the furnace using a laboratory scale model, plant trials and numerical analysis. The project will enhance our fundamental understanding of the top submerged injection processes and assist in optimising AusIron furnace design.Read moreRead less
Modified activated carbons for recovery of gold from thiosulphate solutions. Thiosulphate is currently being considered by various international mining companies as an environmentally friendly alternative to cyanide for gold extraction. Although little is available in the open literature, most confidential research on recovery from thiosulphate leach slurries has focused on ion-exchange technology. Activated carbon as a more practical sorbent has been ignored completely owing to the general perc ....Modified activated carbons for recovery of gold from thiosulphate solutions. Thiosulphate is currently being considered by various international mining companies as an environmentally friendly alternative to cyanide for gold extraction. Although little is available in the open literature, most confidential research on recovery from thiosulphate leach slurries has focused on ion-exchange technology. Activated carbon as a more practical sorbent has been ignored completely owing to the general perception that it has a very low affinity for gold thiosulphate. On the basis of promising preliminary work, the aim of this project is to develop physically and chemically modified activated carbons with a high affinity for the sterically large gold thiosulphate complex. This project will aim to prove the hypothesis that the graphitic edges of an active carbon should be maximised and the organic active sites minimised for optimal adsorption.Read moreRead less
Discrete particle modelling and analysis of complex particle-fluid flows. Multiphase processes are widely used in both conventional and modern industries in Australia and worldwide, however rarely reach more than 60% of design capacity because of a poor understanding of their fundamental characteristics. This project aims to overcome this problem using an extensive combined fundamental and applied approach. The resulting theories, computer models and simulation techniques will be applied to imp ....Discrete particle modelling and analysis of complex particle-fluid flows. Multiphase processes are widely used in both conventional and modern industries in Australia and worldwide, however rarely reach more than 60% of design capacity because of a poor understanding of their fundamental characteristics. This project aims to overcome this problem using an extensive combined fundamental and applied approach. The resulting theories, computer models and simulation techniques will be applied to improve process design, control and optimisation. Consequentially, productivity and Australian competitiveness will be significantly enhanced in its most important industries such as minerals, metallurgical, chemical, energy, and materials.Read moreRead less
Separating gold from silica by tailored hydrometallurgical processes. Australia is one of the world's largest producers of gold, and the ability to more efficiently separate gold from its ores will benefit the Australian economy by maximising the value of every tonne of ore which is removed from the ground. Inefficiencies in processing technology can lead to the loss of gold from extraction processes, and the reasons for some of these losses are poorly understood but are believed to be related t ....Separating gold from silica by tailored hydrometallurgical processes. Australia is one of the world's largest producers of gold, and the ability to more efficiently separate gold from its ores will benefit the Australian economy by maximising the value of every tonne of ore which is removed from the ground. Inefficiencies in processing technology can lead to the loss of gold from extraction processes, and the reasons for some of these losses are poorly understood but are believed to be related to interactions between gold and silicate minerals. We will study these interactions with a view towards improving the percentage of gold present in the ores which is able to be extracted and used.Read moreRead less