Fundamental investigation of the briquetting behaviour of iron ore fines. Handling, including transport and processing, may account for up to 60 per cent of the total delivered price of iron ore. This project will develop an integrated computer model for an improved briquetting process of ore fines with reduced operation cost and less environmental impact, leading to a more competitive and sustainable mineral industry in Australia.
Particle scale modelling and analysis of the multiphase flows in coal preparation. Australia is the world's biggest coal exporter, and black coal is Australia's largest export, with an annual value >$20 billion. Optimum design and control of the processes in coal preparation play a critical economic role in coal production. This project aims at providing substantial improvements through the application of a novel combined continuum and discrete modelling method. Specifically, the improvements ta ....Particle scale modelling and analysis of the multiphase flows in coal preparation. Australia is the world's biggest coal exporter, and black coal is Australia's largest export, with an annual value >$20 billion. Optimum design and control of the processes in coal preparation play a critical economic role in coal production. This project aims at providing substantial improvements through the application of a novel combined continuum and discrete modelling method. Specifically, the improvements targeted relate to better process and product control, a decrease in unit energy consumption and improvements in productivity, which, together with the research training offered, will further enhance Australia's leading position in global coal industry.Read moreRead less
Fundamental studies of multiphase flow and separation performance of natural medium cyclones for recovering waste coal. This project aims to develop an effective method to design, control and optimise natural medium cyclones for recovering waste coal, important for environmental protection and for energy efficiency. Its conduct will enhance Australia's leading position in the coal industry.
Critical metals from complex copper ores. The aims of this project address the critical mineral resource potential of complex copper ores. The research will generate new knowledge on the concentration, distribution, physical form and chemical speciation of critical minerals, including tellurium, cobalt and rare earth elements, in ores and processing streams using innovative approaches and utilising state-of-the-art analytical techniques. Expected outcomes include integrated models for critical e ....Critical metals from complex copper ores. The aims of this project address the critical mineral resource potential of complex copper ores. The research will generate new knowledge on the concentration, distribution, physical form and chemical speciation of critical minerals, including tellurium, cobalt and rare earth elements, in ores and processing streams using innovative approaches and utilising state-of-the-art analytical techniques. Expected outcomes include integrated models for critical element endowments in Australia's largest copper resource, Olympic Dam (S.A.). Future recovery of these elements would add significant value to existing operations, providing long-term economic and commercial benefits and would also contribute to Australia's transition to a low-carbon future.Read moreRead less
Mitigating the negative effects of process water on recovering gold. Low quality water has been used in the minerals industry to save fresh water but shows harmful effects on gold extraction. This project aims to understand the interactions of organic and inorganic components, existing in process water, with gold and determine problematic components that inhibit gold extraction. Expected outcomes will be developed bio-sorbents, based on agriculture waste, that can remove the problematic componen ....Mitigating the negative effects of process water on recovering gold. Low quality water has been used in the minerals industry to save fresh water but shows harmful effects on gold extraction. This project aims to understand the interactions of organic and inorganic components, existing in process water, with gold and determine problematic components that inhibit gold extraction. Expected outcomes will be developed bio-sorbents, based on agriculture waste, that can remove the problematic components in process water efficiently and economically. This will provide major benefits for the minerals industry by providing options to respond and adapt to the impacts of water quality change, leading to increases in yield, revenue and growth of the precious metal sector whilst cutting poisonous chemical consumptions.Read moreRead less
Depressing pyrite in selective flotation of complex polymetallic ores . This project aims to understand the reactions taking place on the major gangue (waste) mineral during the recovery of base-metal and precious minerals. The mining industry is processing low grade complex ores and experiencing difficulties in rejecting gangue minerals in mineral separation and metal extraction plants. The project will develop new technologies that manipulate these reactions to achieve mineral separation and ....Depressing pyrite in selective flotation of complex polymetallic ores . This project aims to understand the reactions taking place on the major gangue (waste) mineral during the recovery of base-metal and precious minerals. The mining industry is processing low grade complex ores and experiencing difficulties in rejecting gangue minerals in mineral separation and metal extraction plants. The project will develop new technologies that manipulate these reactions to achieve mineral separation and metal extraction efficiently and economically. These technologies may provide value in processing low quality complex polymetallic resources using low quality water, whilst halving the operating costs of mineral concentrators and providing corresponding reductions in harmful emissions.Read moreRead less
Engineering the sulphidising reactions for flotation of low quality ores. Engineering the sulphidising reactions for flotation of low quality ores. This project aims to engineer sulphidisation reactions to enhance the flotation of low quality ores for the minerals industry. Sulphidisation uses flotation to enrich base metal and precious minerals from low quality ores containing oxides and oxidised sulphides before expensive leaching or smelting. However, the current sulphidisation method is neit ....Engineering the sulphidising reactions for flotation of low quality ores. Engineering the sulphidising reactions for flotation of low quality ores. This project aims to engineer sulphidisation reactions to enhance the flotation of low quality ores for the minerals industry. Sulphidisation uses flotation to enrich base metal and precious minerals from low quality ores containing oxides and oxidised sulphides before expensive leaching or smelting. However, the current sulphidisation method is neither efficient nor widely used. This project will tailor sulphidisation reactions to generate desirable surface products that are not sensitive to flotation conditions. The intended outcome of this project is to provide a step change value in processing low quality resources while minimising the environmental effects of stockpiles.Read moreRead less
Numerical and experimental studies of the gas-particle flow and dust collection in electrostatic precipitation systems. This project will generate an integrated computer model to describe the gas-solid flow and dust collection in an ElectroStatic Precipitator (ESP). The model can be used to aid the design and control of ESP systems which are widely used for dust collection, leading to more competitive energy and related industries.
Characterisation and Mitigation of Caustic Cracking: A Safety and Maintenance Concern in Alumina and Pulp-and-Paper Processing. Extraction of alumina from mineral bauxite (Bayer process) and pulp-and-paper processing (Kraft process) are major industries in Australia. Cracking of reaction vessels, digesters, cleaning tanks and pipework are major concern for plant integrity, occupational health, safety and environment. Caustic cracking is often the first suspect when a failure occurs. The propose ....Characterisation and Mitigation of Caustic Cracking: A Safety and Maintenance Concern in Alumina and Pulp-and-Paper Processing. Extraction of alumina from mineral bauxite (Bayer process) and pulp-and-paper processing (Kraft process) are major industries in Australia. Cracking of reaction vessels, digesters, cleaning tanks and pipework are major concern for plant integrity, occupational health, safety and environment. Caustic cracking is often the first suspect when a failure occurs. The proposed program will investigate the role of critical impurities and additives, temperature and stress fluctuations in caustic cracking of mild steel and their weldments (known to be most susceptible). This project will also develop an intellectual and infrastructural base that will also be a vital resource for several Australian industries where such cracking is a major concern.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