Fluid-induced creation and decay of porosity and permeability in minerals. This project aims to investigate the role of hydrothermal fluids in the creation and decay of porosity and permeability in minerals. By developing new experimental techniques and undertaking experimental studies mimicking natural conditions, this project expects to generate knowledge of the fundamental relationships between fluid-mineral reactions, pore creation and decay, pore geometry and connectivity, and the mechanism ....Fluid-induced creation and decay of porosity and permeability in minerals. This project aims to investigate the role of hydrothermal fluids in the creation and decay of porosity and permeability in minerals. By developing new experimental techniques and undertaking experimental studies mimicking natural conditions, this project expects to generate knowledge of the fundamental relationships between fluid-mineral reactions, pore creation and decay, pore geometry and connectivity, and the mechanism for the formation of fluid inclusions. This should provide significant benefits such as a deeper understanding of the hydrothermal fluids flowing through tight rocks in the Earth’s crust to form orebodies, and provide a scientific basis to underpin the development of greener technologies for recovering natural resources.Read moreRead less
In the Driver's seat: role of trace elements in enabling crustal fluid flow. This proposal aims to systematically investigate the role of trace elements in controlling the kinetics, product composition, and feed-back between fluid flow and the reaction interface, in fluid-driven mineral reactions. This project expects to provide a framework for the integration of activator trace elements in models of crustal fluid flow and their application in the recovery of base, precious, and critical metals, ....In the Driver's seat: role of trace elements in enabling crustal fluid flow. This proposal aims to systematically investigate the role of trace elements in controlling the kinetics, product composition, and feed-back between fluid flow and the reaction interface, in fluid-driven mineral reactions. This project expects to provide a framework for the integration of activator trace elements in models of crustal fluid flow and their application in the recovery of base, precious, and critical metals, using interdisciplinary approaches across geochemistry, mineral engineering and material sciences. Expected outcomes include improved prediction of the transport of metals and fluids in geo-systems. This should provide significant benefits towards integrating the mineral value chain from exploration to mining and metallurgy.Read moreRead less
Nature's mechanisms for leaching and remobilising metals. This project aims to understand the chemical and physical processes that govern reactive transport and metal scavenging in rocky environments. Much of Australia's mineral wealth is the result of the interaction of warm fluids with rocks deep in the Earth over geological timescales. The formation of ore deposits is governed by the physical chemistry of mineral dissolution and crystallisation, and by fluid flow through porous rocks and frac ....Nature's mechanisms for leaching and remobilising metals. This project aims to understand the chemical and physical processes that govern reactive transport and metal scavenging in rocky environments. Much of Australia's mineral wealth is the result of the interaction of warm fluids with rocks deep in the Earth over geological timescales. The formation of ore deposits is governed by the physical chemistry of mineral dissolution and crystallisation, and by fluid flow through porous rocks and fractures. This project integrates innovation in geology, chemistry, and mineral engineering, and will deliver mineral-scale reaction models that will increase efficiency of in-situ mining and leaching technologies. Knowledge generated can be applied to improve mineral exploration, mining, and processing, contributing to unlocking billions of dollars’ worth of resources tied up in low grade, mineralogically complex ores.Read moreRead less
Reverse engineering nature: metal extraction through mineral replacement. This project aims to find new methods of copper recovery from low grade copper ores, which are currently uneconomic to mine. In nature, at the top of ore deposits and just below the water-table, is a region known as the supergene zone. Here mild oxidizing reactions take place causing primary ore minerals such as chalcopyrite to be replaced by more copper-rich, less refractory minerals. These processes are driven by disso ....Reverse engineering nature: metal extraction through mineral replacement. This project aims to find new methods of copper recovery from low grade copper ores, which are currently uneconomic to mine. In nature, at the top of ore deposits and just below the water-table, is a region known as the supergene zone. Here mild oxidizing reactions take place causing primary ore minerals such as chalcopyrite to be replaced by more copper-rich, less refractory minerals. These processes are driven by dissolution re-precipitation reactions (CDR reactions) and in many CDR reactions, the reaction mechanism, rather than intensive properties such as pressure and temperature, control the nature of the products and the overall reaction process. This project will explore the mechanism and controls on these reactions to see if they can be utilized in the mining industry to economically extract copper from low grade ores.
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Molecular Structure and Transport Properties of Hydrothermal Fluids under Extreme Conditions: Near-Critical, High Salinity, High Pressure and High Volatile Contents. The experimental capabilities, theoretical understanding, and numerical modeling methods developed in this project have broad implication for supporting both well-established (mineral exploration and ore processing) and emerging (geothermal energy; geosequestration) industries of core significance for the future of Australia's econo ....Molecular Structure and Transport Properties of Hydrothermal Fluids under Extreme Conditions: Near-Critical, High Salinity, High Pressure and High Volatile Contents. The experimental capabilities, theoretical understanding, and numerical modeling methods developed in this project have broad implication for supporting both well-established (mineral exploration and ore processing) and emerging (geothermal energy; geosequestration) industries of core significance for the future of Australia's economy. This project also provides access to unique technology developed overseas; this technology will be adapted for the unique challenges faced by Australia, and made available to the broader scientific community via the Australian Synchrotron.Read moreRead less
Rehabilitation strategies for metalliferous mine wastes using native metallophytes from Pb-Zn-Ag gossans, northwest Queensland. The global area covered with mine waste is in the order of 100 million hectares containing several 100,000 million tonnes of mine wastes. The long-term sustainable rehabilitation of metal mine sites is inhibited by our lack of knowledge of metal resistance and uptake by Australian native plants. This project will evaluate metallophytes naturally growing on metal-rich so ....Rehabilitation strategies for metalliferous mine wastes using native metallophytes from Pb-Zn-Ag gossans, northwest Queensland. The global area covered with mine waste is in the order of 100 million hectares containing several 100,000 million tonnes of mine wastes. The long-term sustainable rehabilitation of metal mine sites is inhibited by our lack of knowledge of metal resistance and uptake by Australian native plants. This project will evaluate metallophytes naturally growing on metal-rich soils, northwest Queensland, for their capabilities and revegetation potential when grown in mine wastes of the Cannington Ag-Pb-Zn mine. Outcomes will include practical, innovative methods of mine site rehabilitation that are low-cost and environmentally-friendly.Read moreRead less
Geobiological gold cycling: Golden opportunities for the minerals industry. This project aims to develop new geobiological tools for gold exploration and processing that are rooted in a fundamental understanding of geobiological gold cycling. Given the high production costs, the sustainability of the Australian gold industry relies strongly on innovation. Yet, there are many gaps in our fundamental understanding of bio (geo)chemical gold dispersion and precipitation. This project aims to fill th ....Geobiological gold cycling: Golden opportunities for the minerals industry. This project aims to develop new geobiological tools for gold exploration and processing that are rooted in a fundamental understanding of geobiological gold cycling. Given the high production costs, the sustainability of the Australian gold industry relies strongly on innovation. Yet, there are many gaps in our fundamental understanding of bio (geo)chemical gold dispersion and precipitation. This project aims to fill these gaps by linking biochemical pathways of gold mobilisation and resistance in bacteria to its transport and biomineralisation. This would enable the development of protein-based biosensors, bioindicators and nanovectors. These would support the development of exploration and bioaccumulation technologies that allow more economically sustainable and environmentally viable mining practices, such as enhancing production from subeconomic ore.Read moreRead less
Elemental release and oxidant production from mixed coal mine dusts. The aim of this project is to understand the implications of physical and chemical characteristics of mixed coal mine dusts to their elemental release and oxidant production. The re-emergence of occupational lung diseases in recent years has revealed a major knowledge gap in the area of respirable particle reactivity. This research will examine the role between coal mine dust and their capacity to produce reactive oxygen specie ....Elemental release and oxidant production from mixed coal mine dusts. The aim of this project is to understand the implications of physical and chemical characteristics of mixed coal mine dusts to their elemental release and oxidant production. The re-emergence of occupational lung diseases in recent years has revealed a major knowledge gap in the area of respirable particle reactivity. This research will examine the role between coal mine dust and their capacity to produce reactive oxygen species, with the focus being on the role of physical and chemical properties of particles and how they transform with age. The findings will be used to develop screening protocols and develop novel monitoring / mitigation strategies for coal mine workers.Read moreRead less
Probing gold in hot ore fluids: experiments and molecular dynamics simulations. In order to efficiently discover vital new mineral resources for Australia, explorers must understand the fundamental controls on ore formation. The lack of data for soluble metal behaviour in hot fluids at high pressure is a significant impediment to our understanding of deposit formation and for the application of industrial processes, such as hydrometallurgy. This project will gain molecular-level understanding of ....Probing gold in hot ore fluids: experiments and molecular dynamics simulations. In order to efficiently discover vital new mineral resources for Australia, explorers must understand the fundamental controls on ore formation. The lack of data for soluble metal behaviour in hot fluids at high pressure is a significant impediment to our understanding of deposit formation and for the application of industrial processes, such as hydrometallurgy. This project will gain molecular-level understanding of the fundamental chemistry of gold transport and deposition in high temperature, high-pressure, carbon dioxide-rich fluids and gold colloid systems, using multiple novel experimental techniques and molecular dynamics simulations that make use of Australia’s cutting-edge experimental and computational facilities.Read moreRead less
Fish fingerprints - signatures of oil contamination. The project aims to integrate chemical characterisation of crude oil with inorganic and organic markers in living organisms. Linking harmful effects on ecosystems with exposure to spilled crude oil remains a major challenge due to the ever-changing nature of oil in the environment. This project will expose fish to a range of fresh/weathered oils to mimic various exposure scenarios. The transition of oil to metabolites will be characterised in ....Fish fingerprints - signatures of oil contamination. The project aims to integrate chemical characterisation of crude oil with inorganic and organic markers in living organisms. Linking harmful effects on ecosystems with exposure to spilled crude oil remains a major challenge due to the ever-changing nature of oil in the environment. This project will expose fish to a range of fresh/weathered oils to mimic various exposure scenarios. The transition of oil to metabolites will be characterised in a suite of environmental and biological matrices using multi-dimensional chromatography/mass spectrometry, trace metals and compound-specific isotope analyses. This project will provide significant benefits by providing an improved capacity to link source oil with specific markers in living organisms.Read moreRead less