Mid-Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IM230100767
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,013,416.00
Summary
Securing the pipeline of lithium for the renewable energy transition. A major risk to global renewable energy is sustaining the supply of lithium needed for green energy storage via batteries. This project aims to fast-track new lithium resource discoveries, both from conventional hard rock deposits in Australia and newly emerging targets such as saline groundwater reservoirs. It will accelerate our ability to determine how and where lithium ore deposits form in the Australian continent, and dev ....Securing the pipeline of lithium for the renewable energy transition. A major risk to global renewable energy is sustaining the supply of lithium needed for green energy storage via batteries. This project aims to fast-track new lithium resource discoveries, both from conventional hard rock deposits in Australia and newly emerging targets such as saline groundwater reservoirs. It will accelerate our ability to determine how and where lithium ore deposits form in the Australian continent, and develop novel mineral-based exploration tools for rapid and cost-effective discovery of new deposits. This will be advanced by a strong nexus between the minerals industry, government and academia, benefitting Australia as a dominant global lithium supplier by realising the potential of its enormous lithium resources. Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC230100035
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$5,000,000.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre in Critical Resources for the Future. The proposed ARC Training Centre in Critical Resources aims to train the next generation of geoscientists needed to enable resourcing of the transition to a high-tech, clean energy society. Training of PhD students and postdoctoral scientists will primarily focus on bridging the gap between mineral systems science, mineral exploration protocols and ore processing/metallurgical extraction. This will provide geoscientists with an essential ....ARC Training Centre in Critical Resources for the Future. The proposed ARC Training Centre in Critical Resources aims to train the next generation of geoscientists needed to enable resourcing of the transition to a high-tech, clean energy society. Training of PhD students and postdoctoral scientists will primarily focus on bridging the gap between mineral systems science, mineral exploration protocols and ore processing/metallurgical extraction. This will provide geoscientists with an essential understanding of the whole value chain of the critical resources of the future.
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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE160100027
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$600,000.00
Summary
Australian National Facility for Noble-Gas Radio-Isotope Measurements. Australian national facility for noble-gas radio-isotope measurements:
This facility is designed to provide researchers with the ability to accurately date water and ice cores using the natural radio-isotopes in the sample. Radiocarbon dating has been a revolutionary tool in providing answers to a range of questions in anthropology, archaeology and the earth sciences. However, radiocarbon dating has a strong limitation in th ....Australian National Facility for Noble-Gas Radio-Isotope Measurements. Australian national facility for noble-gas radio-isotope measurements:
This facility is designed to provide researchers with the ability to accurately date water and ice cores using the natural radio-isotopes in the sample. Radiocarbon dating has been a revolutionary tool in providing answers to a range of questions in anthropology, archaeology and the earth sciences. However, radiocarbon dating has a strong limitation in that it can only date periods from 1000–50 000 years: the use of radioactive noble-gas isotopes can extend this range out to 1 year to 1 million years. This capability in the new facility is expected to support new understanding of processes in artesian reservoirs, ocean currents and geology that may affect questions of water availability, climate and environmental change.Read moreRead less
The carbonate geology of the critical metal niobium. This project aims to understand how pyrochlore, the major ore mineral of the critical metal niobium, forms in
Earth’s crust. Niobium is exclusively mined from carbonatite magma bodies in Brazil and Canada, despite proven
Australian resources. It is used in high strength steel alloys in the construction and transport industries. Expected
research outcomes include understanding how pyrochlore forms in carbonatites, development of exploration too ....The carbonate geology of the critical metal niobium. This project aims to understand how pyrochlore, the major ore mineral of the critical metal niobium, forms in
Earth’s crust. Niobium is exclusively mined from carbonatite magma bodies in Brazil and Canada, despite proven
Australian resources. It is used in high strength steel alloys in the construction and transport industries. Expected
research outcomes include understanding how pyrochlore forms in carbonatites, development of exploration tools
to locate niobium ore bodies which are unexposed at the surface, and investigation of environmentally and
economically sustainable technologies for metallurgical extraction of niobium from ore. The research is intended
to benefit Australia’s critical metals exploration and mining industries.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180101518
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$364,200.00
Summary
Aquifers as climate logs: untangling replenishment mechanisms. This project aims to develop methods that use environmental tracers to provide detailed information about groundwater ages and relate the age structure of groundwater systems to past climatic conditions. The impacts of climate change on groundwater resources is an important question in hydrogeological studies. The age of groundwater within an aquifer represents a detailed log of past recharge events. The project will generate methods ....Aquifers as climate logs: untangling replenishment mechanisms. This project aims to develop methods that use environmental tracers to provide detailed information about groundwater ages and relate the age structure of groundwater systems to past climatic conditions. The impacts of climate change on groundwater resources is an important question in hydrogeological studies. The age of groundwater within an aquifer represents a detailed log of past recharge events. The project will generate methods for assessing the past history of groundwater resources, and provide insight into the viability of groundwater in the future. This will improve understanding of how groundwater resources will behave under a changing climate.Read moreRead less
Unravelling vanadium biogeochemistry in modern marine sediments. This project aims to unravel the biogeochemistry of vanadium in modern marine sediments for use as a tracer of ancient oxygen concentrations in the oceans of the early Earth. This project will generate fundamental knowledge on the behaviour of vanadium in modern marine sediments by applying advanced analytical tools for imaging its concentration and chemical form at ultra-high resolution. This information is critical for accurate i ....Unravelling vanadium biogeochemistry in modern marine sediments. This project aims to unravel the biogeochemistry of vanadium in modern marine sediments for use as a tracer of ancient oxygen concentrations in the oceans of the early Earth. This project will generate fundamental knowledge on the behaviour of vanadium in modern marine sediments by applying advanced analytical tools for imaging its concentration and chemical form at ultra-high resolution. This information is critical for accurate interpretation of the geological record to infer the oxygen concentration of the oceans at various points in Earth's history. This interdisciplinary project will facilitate strong collaboration between Australian and Danish researchers in the field of marine geochemistry and paleoceanography.Read moreRead less
Improving water market outcomes through a better understanding of market behaviour. The issue of water resources and their sustainable use is probably the most important issue facing the rural sector. The water reform process and its aim to secure water for the environment will cause economic and social pain and result in structural change within the irrigation sector. Properly functioning water markets will play an instrumental role in facilitating this process by providing water for the envir ....Improving water market outcomes through a better understanding of market behaviour. The issue of water resources and their sustainable use is probably the most important issue facing the rural sector. The water reform process and its aim to secure water for the environment will cause economic and social pain and result in structural change within the irrigation sector. Properly functioning water markets will play an instrumental role in facilitating this process by providing water for the environment and allowing water to move between competing resources. This study will enable policy makers and water managers to optimise the positive outcome of water markets and increase the likely success of programs to purchase environmental water.Read moreRead less
Sustainability of aquifer storage and recovery: the effects of nutrient load and water quality on aquifer clogging. Aquifer storage and recovery, ASR, stores excess water or treated effluent for subsequent beneficial use. Microbial and geochemical reactions can through clogging reduce aquifer permeability, increase pumping cost and may threatened the sustainability of the system. The relationships between injectant composition and biological geochemical clogging are poorly understood. Expanding ....Sustainability of aquifer storage and recovery: the effects of nutrient load and water quality on aquifer clogging. Aquifer storage and recovery, ASR, stores excess water or treated effluent for subsequent beneficial use. Microbial and geochemical reactions can through clogging reduce aquifer permeability, increase pumping cost and may threatened the sustainability of the system. The relationships between injectant composition and biological geochemical clogging are poorly understood. Expanding on prior field and column studies and techniques this project will study geochemical and microbial processes at on well-instrumented ASR trial site in South Australia. The relationship between effluent composition and change in hydraulic conductivity will be quantified, with a view to developping generic, practical decision-support tools and improve predictive model.Read moreRead less