Carbothermal synthesis of titanium carbide. The project's ultimate aim is to develop a comprehensive understanding of carbothermal reduction of titania and ilmenite for titanium carbide production. The projects findings will be of importance to improving the efficiency of carbothermal reduction processes, which are major technologies in ferrous metallurgy, and to the development of titanium industry in Australia.
Australia is the world largest producer of rutile and ilmenite, which are mainly s ....Carbothermal synthesis of titanium carbide. The project's ultimate aim is to develop a comprehensive understanding of carbothermal reduction of titania and ilmenite for titanium carbide production. The projects findings will be of importance to improving the efficiency of carbothermal reduction processes, which are major technologies in ferrous metallurgy, and to the development of titanium industry in Australia.
Australia is the world largest producer of rutile and ilmenite, which are mainly sold overseas and partly processed to titania pigment. Development of the cost-efficient technology for titanium carbide will stimulate a domestic production of this advanced material, what will add enormously to the value of titanium minerals.Read moreRead less
Utilisation of manganese sludge in production of manganese alloys. Australia possesses one of the world's best deposits of manganese ore, and has the potential to increase production of manganese alloys. This depends strongly on the competitiveness of Australian manganese industry. Deposition of manganese sludge, which is formed in ferroalloy furnaces, in fume dams in Bell Bay is costly, occupies valuable land, and causes an environmental concern. Utilisation of manganese sludge back into ferroa ....Utilisation of manganese sludge in production of manganese alloys. Australia possesses one of the world's best deposits of manganese ore, and has the potential to increase production of manganese alloys. This depends strongly on the competitiveness of Australian manganese industry. Deposition of manganese sludge, which is formed in ferroalloy furnaces, in fume dams in Bell Bay is costly, occupies valuable land, and causes an environmental concern. Utilisation of manganese sludge back into ferroalloy furnace will make operation of Tasmanian Electro Metallurgical Company more efficient, sustainable and will stimulate further development of manganese industry in Australia. Read moreRead less
A study of wettability and reduction behaviour in carbothermal production of manganese alloys. The project's ultimate aim is to develop a comprehensive understanding of reactions between carbonaceous materials and molten slag relevant to carbothermal reduction of manganese ore. It will be achieved through experimental study of dynamic wettability and interfacial properties of the carbon - slag system for variety of carbonaceous materials and slag compositions. Reduction behaviour of different ma ....A study of wettability and reduction behaviour in carbothermal production of manganese alloys. The project's ultimate aim is to develop a comprehensive understanding of reactions between carbonaceous materials and molten slag relevant to carbothermal reduction of manganese ore. It will be achieved through experimental study of dynamic wettability and interfacial properties of the carbon - slag system for variety of carbonaceous materials and slag compositions. Reduction behaviour of different manganese ores will also be examined in conjunction with the wettability study. The projects findings will be of importance to carbothermal reduction processes, which are major technologies in ferrous metallurgy, and to further development of the manganese alloys industry in Australia.Read moreRead less
Characterisation of carbonaceous materials in production of manganese alloys. Optimisation of the carbonaceous materials feedstock in production of manganese alloys will increase energy efficiency and decrease environmental impact in operation of submerged electric arc furnace. Currently, Australia processes domestically only about 25% of produced manganese ore, while 75% is sold as raw material. Increase in production of manganese alloys will add value to the products and create additional empl ....Characterisation of carbonaceous materials in production of manganese alloys. Optimisation of the carbonaceous materials feedstock in production of manganese alloys will increase energy efficiency and decrease environmental impact in operation of submerged electric arc furnace. Currently, Australia processes domestically only about 25% of produced manganese ore, while 75% is sold as raw material. Increase in production of manganese alloys will add value to the products and create additional employment opportunities, what will be beneficial to the Australian economy. The project will also contribute to further understanding of behaviour of coals in pyrometallurgical processes what will be beneficial to coal industry.Read moreRead less
A Novel Approach to Processing of Australian Laterite Ores through Selective Reduction and Carbonylation. Processing of laterite ores, started in 1998 in Australia, has significantly enhanced Australian role on the international nickel market. However, the production of nickel from oxide ores by established technologies consumes two to three times energy as processing of sulphide ores with significant environmental impact. This underlines the importance of development of more energy efficient pr ....A Novel Approach to Processing of Australian Laterite Ores through Selective Reduction and Carbonylation. Processing of laterite ores, started in 1998 in Australia, has significantly enhanced Australian role on the international nickel market. However, the production of nickel from oxide ores by established technologies consumes two to three times energy as processing of sulphide ores with significant environmental impact. This underlines the importance of development of more energy efficient processes for oxide ores. The proposed technology will significantly decrease energy and water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions in nickel production. It will enhance the competitiveness of Australian Nickel Industry and stimulate its expansion with significant economy and social benefits.Read moreRead less
X-ray tomographic analysis and modelling of metallurgical coke. This project will apply 3D X-ray micro-tomography and model-based computational analysis to develop innovative approaches to the micro-structural characterisation of metallurgical coke. This has significant ramifications for the iron industry since coke characterisation is of primary importance to improved blast furnace productivity. The project will deliver new quantitative indices of coke microstructure, develop models for simulat ....X-ray tomographic analysis and modelling of metallurgical coke. This project will apply 3D X-ray micro-tomography and model-based computational analysis to develop innovative approaches to the micro-structural characterisation of metallurgical coke. This has significant ramifications for the iron industry since coke characterisation is of primary importance to improved blast furnace productivity. The project will deliver new quantitative indices of coke microstructure, develop models for simulation of micro-structural properties and coke transport properties, and examine coke reactivity in 3D contexts. This project will also be the first study to use multi-scale 3D X-ray tomographic analysis to examine the structural dynamics of coke during both its production and its use in the blast furnace.Read moreRead less
Development and Use of Ionic Liquids in Metal Recovery from Ores, Concentrates and Mattes. Ionic liquids, which are liquid over a wide temperature range and can dissolve a wide range of solutes to high concentrations, promise new and yet unexplored approaches in processing ores. We aim to prepare ionic liquids and apply these to increase the intensity of copper and gold sulfide processing, and to explore more efficient separation of platinum group metals from mattes. New oxidative leaching techn ....Development and Use of Ionic Liquids in Metal Recovery from Ores, Concentrates and Mattes. Ionic liquids, which are liquid over a wide temperature range and can dissolve a wide range of solutes to high concentrations, promise new and yet unexplored approaches in processing ores. We aim to prepare ionic liquids and apply these to increase the intensity of copper and gold sulfide processing, and to explore more efficient separation of platinum group metals from mattes. New oxidative leaching techniques will be developed to diminish ore passivation and enhance recovery; high current electrowinning of copper in ionic liquids will be probed. Evolving technology should yield economic and environmental benefits for a nationally important industry.Read moreRead less