Mechanisms for Pyrite Oxidation Control in Acid Mine Drainage. The annual costs of acid rock drainage (ARD) management at operating sites in Australia are $120M p.a.; over 15 years, a total cost of $1.8 billion for the whole industry. There are limitations to the ability of existing systems to cope with high capacity ARD, to the long-term effectiveness of these systems and high potential costs/liability of remediation. The value of the project outcomes to industry and government will be in reduc ....Mechanisms for Pyrite Oxidation Control in Acid Mine Drainage. The annual costs of acid rock drainage (ARD) management at operating sites in Australia are $120M p.a.; over 15 years, a total cost of $1.8 billion for the whole industry. There are limitations to the ability of existing systems to cope with high capacity ARD, to the long-term effectiveness of these systems and high potential costs/liability of remediation. The value of the project outcomes to industry and government will be in reduction of ARD release, well-understood long-term outcomes, reduced cost of treatments and improved control. The scale of these savings is in the tens of $M p.a. but also in potential improvements in environment (acid and toxic metals in streams), health and social quality of life in mining areas and towns.Read moreRead less
Evaluation of reaction mechanisms and products in acid rock drainage treatments. There are more than 54 sites in Australia managing major ARD wastes (either >10% of the waste or >10M tonnes) with another 62 sites with less ARD. At operating sites, the annual costs are $60M p.a.; over 15 years, a total cost of $900M for the whole industry. The value of the project outcomes to industry (and government) in reduction of acid and toxic metal release and reduced cost of treatments is potentially in th ....Evaluation of reaction mechanisms and products in acid rock drainage treatments. There are more than 54 sites in Australia managing major ARD wastes (either >10% of the waste or >10M tonnes) with another 62 sites with less ARD. At operating sites, the annual costs are $60M p.a.; over 15 years, a total cost of $900M for the whole industry. The value of the project outcomes to industry (and government) in reduction of acid and toxic metal release and reduced cost of treatments is potentially in the tens of $M p.a.. Improvements in environmental and social quality of life in mining areas and towns will also result from improved treatment.Read moreRead less
BEACH FORMATION OF NON-SEGREGATING TAILINGS. Thickened tailings from mining operations discharged onto flat ground build into a low conical hill, forming a straight beach slope. This method of stacked tailings disposal is currently employed at nine Australian mine-sites. It is cost effective and environmentally friendly. Discharged thickened pastes can develop steeper slopes, thus requiring less area for the tailings stack. However, a tailing discharge system design must be based on an accurate ....BEACH FORMATION OF NON-SEGREGATING TAILINGS. Thickened tailings from mining operations discharged onto flat ground build into a low conical hill, forming a straight beach slope. This method of stacked tailings disposal is currently employed at nine Australian mine-sites. It is cost effective and environmentally friendly. Discharged thickened pastes can develop steeper slopes, thus requiring less area for the tailings stack. However, a tailing discharge system design must be based on an accurate prediction of the beach slope. The aim is to produce a method of predicting the beach slope angle from laboratory experiments involving particle mechanics, rheology, and process parameters like flowrate and concentration.Read moreRead less
Thickener operation optimisation and design for the minerals industry. Thickening is the main process used in the minerals industry for recovery and recycling of water and the environmental management of waste products. This project will provide simple but fundamental experimental and modelling tools to enhance thickener design and operations. The result will be improved water recovery, reduced waste volumes, environmentally sustainable options for waste tailings disposal and significant cost r ....Thickener operation optimisation and design for the minerals industry. Thickening is the main process used in the minerals industry for recovery and recycling of water and the environmental management of waste products. This project will provide simple but fundamental experimental and modelling tools to enhance thickener design and operations. The result will be improved water recovery, reduced waste volumes, environmentally sustainable options for waste tailings disposal and significant cost reductions through improved device design at a large number of sites both in Australia and overseas. An additional benefit will be an integrated design and operational approach to thickener utilisation in the minerals industry.Read moreRead less
Thickener dewatering optimization in the minerals industry. The project aims to develop the understanding required to provide a quantitative basis for the selection, design and operation of thickening devices for optimal dewatering performance in the minerals industry. This will enable reduced water use, improved water management, provide better slurry solids management and improve tailing disposal practice, resulting in reduced processing and capital costs, increased throughput and lower envir ....Thickener dewatering optimization in the minerals industry. The project aims to develop the understanding required to provide a quantitative basis for the selection, design and operation of thickening devices for optimal dewatering performance in the minerals industry. This will enable reduced water use, improved water management, provide better slurry solids management and improve tailing disposal practice, resulting in reduced processing and capital costs, increased throughput and lower environmental impact. In particular, the project will link the characterisation of the slurry feed to thickener process conditions and subsequent dewatering performance, including the role of rakes and shear devices. It will provide a sound basis for the optimization of dewatering in thickener operations.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0345760
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$210,000.00
Summary
Nanoscale Interaction Forces in Particulate and Molecular Systems. We seek to establish a world-class facility for the measurement of nanoscale interaction forces. The ability to measure forces between particles, polymers, emulsion droplets, bubbles, proteins and powders will augment our research capabilities in minerals and material processing, thin film technology, structured surfaces, and in molecular and bio-technology (eg. proteins, DNA, cells, bone, bio-implants). A Molecular Force Probe ....Nanoscale Interaction Forces in Particulate and Molecular Systems. We seek to establish a world-class facility for the measurement of nanoscale interaction forces. The ability to measure forces between particles, polymers, emulsion droplets, bubbles, proteins and powders will augment our research capabilities in minerals and material processing, thin film technology, structured surfaces, and in molecular and bio-technology (eg. proteins, DNA, cells, bone, bio-implants). A Molecular Force Probe (Asylum Research) instrument will allow precise and flexible force measurements on the nano-metre scale. The proposed multi-disciplinary facility will advance research in the areas of engineering, chemistry, pharmacology and biotechnology.
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Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354656
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$20,000.00
Summary
Particulate Science and Technology Network. Particulate Science and Technology (PST) is a rapidly developing interdisciplinary research field concerned with particle-related phenomena at different time and length scales and represents a very significant research and development effort in Australia for many years. This network is formed by linking the world-recognized research centres/groups with different expertise. Its aim is to provide greater collaboration among the Australian and overseas re ....Particulate Science and Technology Network. Particulate Science and Technology (PST) is a rapidly developing interdisciplinary research field concerned with particle-related phenomena at different time and length scales and represents a very significant research and development effort in Australia for many years. This network is formed by linking the world-recognized research centres/groups with different expertise. Its aim is to provide greater collaboration among the Australian and overseas researchers and enhance the scale and focus of particulate research. It will help develop and maintain Australia's leading position in PST, generating massive research outcomes and training that can lead to improvement in resource, energy, process and allied industries.Read moreRead less
The evolution of effective stress in sedimenting clayey slurries. Activities such as water treatment, mining and dredging produce enormous volumes of semi-solid waste annually. The safe and environmentally responsible management of these wastes is costly, consumes vast quantities of water, and sterilises large areas of land. We will address these issues through understanding and manipulating the interaction between individual particles in these slurries to produce desired engineering outcomes. T ....The evolution of effective stress in sedimenting clayey slurries. Activities such as water treatment, mining and dredging produce enormous volumes of semi-solid waste annually. The safe and environmentally responsible management of these wastes is costly, consumes vast quantities of water, and sterilises large areas of land. We will address these issues through understanding and manipulating the interaction between individual particles in these slurries to produce desired engineering outcomes. This will be done by developing a laboratory testing column in which the gain in strength and rigidity of a settling slurry are fully characterised, enabling an improvement in design of safe and economical impoundment structures for these waste materials.
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Control Of Aggregate Structure, Settling And Dewatering In Mineral Tailings Processing. Modification of aggregate structures in mineral processing will lead to improved dewatering in tailings operations. In mine site rehabilitation and tailings utilisation, technology developed in this project may save not only millions of dollars in more efficient processing and tailing deposition but also help to better reuse our limited national water resources.
Practical Application of Filtration Theory to the Minerals Industry. The project aims to provide a quantitative basis for the selection, design, operation and maintenance of filter devices in the minerals industry. This will be achieved through characterisation of materials to be filtered by developing a model of the true role of the membrane in filtration. Experimental parameters will be input to first principles filtration models. This will reduce the incidence of poor operational outcomes ....Practical Application of Filtration Theory to the Minerals Industry. The project aims to provide a quantitative basis for the selection, design, operation and maintenance of filter devices in the minerals industry. This will be achieved through characterisation of materials to be filtered by developing a model of the true role of the membrane in filtration. Experimental parameters will be input to first principles filtration models. This will reduce the incidence of poor operational outcomes for filter presses and provide a sound basis for the maintenance of filter cloths and membranes.Read moreRead less