Fundamental experimental and modelling studies of slag/matte/metal/gas systems in support of sustainable copper smelting and converting technologies. Australia is in the midst of a sustained increase in demand for its mineral resources that is leading to expansion in production and major capital investments across the industry sector. Most of the primary production of copper metal in Australia takes place through the use of high temperature smelting technologies. New technologies and significant ....Fundamental experimental and modelling studies of slag/matte/metal/gas systems in support of sustainable copper smelting and converting technologies. Australia is in the midst of a sustained increase in demand for its mineral resources that is leading to expansion in production and major capital investments across the industry sector. Most of the primary production of copper metal in Australia takes place through the use of high temperature smelting technologies. New technologies and significant changes to existing smelting technologies are currently underway; driven by the need to improve both productivity and environmental performance. This research partnership will provide important fundamental information about the complex chemistries of these high temperature processes. This project will assist these process improvements and will provide competitive advantage to Australian industry.Read moreRead less
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
Improving the Continuous Copper Converting Process Using Ferrous Calcium Silicate Slags. Replacement of refractories due to slag attack is a major cost in the copper making process. Metallurgists need to find a better slag which retains the benefits of current slags but is less aggressive towards refractories. This project will assess the suitability of a newly proposed ferrous calcium silicate slag for continuous copper converting. The outcomes will be to: (1) provide fundamental knowledge of ....Improving the Continuous Copper Converting Process Using Ferrous Calcium Silicate Slags. Replacement of refractories due to slag attack is a major cost in the copper making process. Metallurgists need to find a better slag which retains the benefits of current slags but is less aggressive towards refractories. This project will assess the suitability of a newly proposed ferrous calcium silicate slag for continuous copper converting. The outcomes will be to: (1) provide fundamental knowledge of the properties of the SiO2-CaO-FeO slag system, (2) provide data on the rate and mechanism of refractory attack by this slag and (3) enable the copper smelting industry to assess the potential of this slag to reduce operating costs.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
Improvements in the pyrometallurgical processing of nickel oxide and laterite ores at QNI Yabulu, North Queensland. The QNI Yabulu operation in Queensland is an important supplier of nickel and cobalt metals to the export market. The company is planning to expand the scale of the operations but is faced with two important sustainability issues. One is the recent changes to the European regulations that require very low levels of residual nickel oxide in the nickel metal product. The second issue ....Improvements in the pyrometallurgical processing of nickel oxide and laterite ores at QNI Yabulu, North Queensland. The QNI Yabulu operation in Queensland is an important supplier of nickel and cobalt metals to the export market. The company is planning to expand the scale of the operations but is faced with two important sustainability issues. One is the recent changes to the European regulations that require very low levels of residual nickel oxide in the nickel metal product. The second issue relates to ensuring the supply and improved recovery of nickel and cobalt from oxide-based ores. Further fundamental scientific information is required to provide improved understanding of the complex chemical reactions occurring during the high temperature treatment of these materials, and to guide improvements in product quality, recovery and process efficiencyRead moreRead less
ADVANCED THERMODYNAMIC AND PROCESS MODELS FOR HIGH TEMPERATURE METAL SMELTING TECHNOLOGIES - A COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM IN PYROMETALLURGY. This 5-year ARC Linkage project developed by the Pyrometallurgy Research Centre, UQ brings together several consortia of major mineral companies in a genuinely collaborative way to address a range of complex technical problems associated with the high temperature chemical processing of minerals and metals.
The UQ research team brings new state-of-the- ....ADVANCED THERMODYNAMIC AND PROCESS MODELS FOR HIGH TEMPERATURE METAL SMELTING TECHNOLOGIES - A COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM IN PYROMETALLURGY. This 5-year ARC Linkage project developed by the Pyrometallurgy Research Centre, UQ brings together several consortia of major mineral companies in a genuinely collaborative way to address a range of complex technical problems associated with the high temperature chemical processing of minerals and metals.
The UQ research team brings new state-of-the-art research methodologies, and experimental and computer modelling techniques to provide scientifically important research outcomes which can be used by the industry. The research program will provide fundamental thermodynamic and physical property information on the complex chemical systems encountered in industrial processes, powerful computer models, and applied research outputs for industry. The project will also importantly provide research training in the field pyrometallurgy, deliver competitive advantage to the Australian mineral industry and bring economic benefits particularly to regional Australia.
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Improving the Performance of Lead Anodes in the Electrowinning of Copper. The aim of this project is the development of a fundamental understanding of the role of certain metal ions such as cobalt and manganese in modifying the electrochemical and corrosion performance of lead alloy materials used as anodes in the electrowinning of base metals such as copper, zinc and nickel.
The development of improved anodes will be of major benefit to the industry in terms of anode cost and particularly ener ....Improving the Performance of Lead Anodes in the Electrowinning of Copper. The aim of this project is the development of a fundamental understanding of the role of certain metal ions such as cobalt and manganese in modifying the electrochemical and corrosion performance of lead alloy materials used as anodes in the electrowinning of base metals such as copper, zinc and nickel.
The development of improved anodes will be of major benefit to the industry in terms of anode cost and particularly energy consumption. This project will lead to a better understanding of the performance of these anodes and could result in the design of improved anode materials and/or operating strategies.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