Alternative technology for titanium tetrachloride: production and chlorination of titanium oxycarbonitride. The proposed project targets alternative cost-efficient technology for titanium tetrachloride, which is an intermediate product in production of titanium metal and titania pigment. More efficient technology for processing of titanium minerals will strengthen the position of Australia in the titanium industry at a global level. It has a potential to enhance Australia capacity to exploit nic ....Alternative technology for titanium tetrachloride: production and chlorination of titanium oxycarbonitride. The proposed project targets alternative cost-efficient technology for titanium tetrachloride, which is an intermediate product in production of titanium metal and titania pigment. More efficient technology for processing of titanium minerals will strengthen the position of Australia in the titanium industry at a global level. It has a potential to enhance Australia capacity to exploit niche markets for titanium dioxide white pigment and titanium metal, enabling Australia to capitalise on its huge mineral sands resource, rich in ilmenite and rutile. The project will also contribute to the theory of metallurgical processes, particularly to the gas-solid reactions in the reduction, carburisation, nitridation and chlorination processes. Read moreRead less
Alternative processing of titanium minerals: carburisation and chlorination of rutile and ilmenite. Australia produces about 40% of the world's stocks of ilmenite and 25% of rutile, which are used as raw materials for the titanium industry. Current methods for processing these minerals into pigment titanium dioxide and metallic titanium are complex, expensive and produce by-products that are environmentally dangerous. The project will study titania reduction from rutile and ilmenites to oxycarbi ....Alternative processing of titanium minerals: carburisation and chlorination of rutile and ilmenite. Australia produces about 40% of the world's stocks of ilmenite and 25% of rutile, which are used as raw materials for the titanium industry. Current methods for processing these minerals into pigment titanium dioxide and metallic titanium are complex, expensive and produce by-products that are environmentally dangerous. The project will study titania reduction from rutile and ilmenites to oxycarbides and reactions of chlorination of titanium oxycarbide. The aim is to establish fundamentals of titanium carburisation/chlorination processes and to assess their potential for processing of titanium minerals more efficiently. Outcomes will include reaction kinetics and mechanisms of reduction/carburisation and chlorination reactions, constraints and optimal conditions for carburisation/chlorination process.Read moreRead less
Mapping Under the Ice - crustal evolution in Antarctica and the assembly of Gondwanaland. The project will use a novel approach to map the sub-ice geology of Antarctica, and fill a gap in paleogeographical reconstructions. Paleocurrents indicate that Permo-Triassic river sands in Gondwanaland were dispersed from the sub-glacial Gamburtsev Mountains and the Beardmore-Ross region following the collision of Gondwanaland and Laurussia to form Pangea. An integrated U-Pb and Hf-isotope analysis of zi ....Mapping Under the Ice - crustal evolution in Antarctica and the assembly of Gondwanaland. The project will use a novel approach to map the sub-ice geology of Antarctica, and fill a gap in paleogeographical reconstructions. Paleocurrents indicate that Permo-Triassic river sands in Gondwanaland were dispersed from the sub-glacial Gamburtsev Mountains and the Beardmore-Ross region following the collision of Gondwanaland and Laurussia to form Pangea. An integrated U-Pb and Hf-isotope analysis of zircon grains from these sandstones will map the age and crustal evolution of these intracontinental orogens. Comparison with similar data from older Devonian sands in Australia-Antarctica-Africa will allow reconstruction of the pre- and post-collisional tectonics of Australia and adjoining areas of Gondwanaland.Read moreRead less
From Synchrotron Characterisation of Single Fluid Inclusions to Archaean Geodynamics: An Integrated Study of Fluid-Rock Interaction in the Primitive Crust. In the primitive Earth, a wide range of phenomena including the initiation of biological activity and the formation of ore deposits were related to the mobilisation of mineralised fluids through the crust. In the Archaean craton of the Pilbara (WA), we have identified, within its tectonic framework, a crustal-scale plumbing system that channe ....From Synchrotron Characterisation of Single Fluid Inclusions to Archaean Geodynamics: An Integrated Study of Fluid-Rock Interaction in the Primitive Crust. In the primitive Earth, a wide range of phenomena including the initiation of biological activity and the formation of ore deposits were related to the mobilisation of mineralised fluids through the crust. In the Archaean craton of the Pilbara (WA), we have identified, within its tectonic framework, a crustal-scale plumbing system that channelled large volumes of mineralised hydrothermal solutions. Our objective is to understand the development of this plumbing system in relation to Archaean crustal geodynamics using a combination of structural geology, metamorphic petrology, geochronology, geochemistry, and the analysis of single-fluid inclusion using synchrotron and other X-ray sources.Read moreRead less
Partial melting in natural metal-silicate and silicate systems: rheological and geochemical implications for the Earth and other planets. Understanding how fluid and melts migrate through the Earth's crust is vital to predicting how important minerals, metals and oil can be concentrated. Understanding fluid-rock systems therefore contribute to an environmentally sustainable Australia (Research Priority 1). Furthering our knowledge of permeable networks through the use of dynamic experiments is a ....Partial melting in natural metal-silicate and silicate systems: rheological and geochemical implications for the Earth and other planets. Understanding how fluid and melts migrate through the Earth's crust is vital to predicting how important minerals, metals and oil can be concentrated. Understanding fluid-rock systems therefore contribute to an environmentally sustainable Australia (Research Priority 1). Furthering our knowledge of permeable networks through the use of dynamic experiments is an innovative way to study their development within naturally evolving crustal systems as they respond to changing physical and chemical conditions. Thus, this proposal is also directly concerned with the continuing aim of building a sustainable Australia through knowledge of deep Earth resources.Read moreRead less
Mapping mineral systems of deep Australia. We aim at enabling mineral resource discoveries by calibrating geophysical surveys using geochemical and petrophysical properties measured on mantle samples brought to the surface by recent volcanoes. National geophysical surveys deliver images of geophysical gradients in the deeper part of the Australian continent. The interpretation of these gradients in geological terms and in terms of economic mineral systems is the key to unlock deep exploration su ....Mapping mineral systems of deep Australia. We aim at enabling mineral resource discoveries by calibrating geophysical surveys using geochemical and petrophysical properties measured on mantle samples brought to the surface by recent volcanoes. National geophysical surveys deliver images of geophysical gradients in the deeper part of the Australian continent. The interpretation of these gradients in geological terms and in terms of economic mineral systems is the key to unlock deep exploration success. This project will turn Australia’s investment in National geophysical surveys into new discoveries of base metals. The benefit stems from enabling the transition to a clean economy which requires a much broader range of critical minerals and a larger quantity of base metals.Read moreRead less
Enzyme-Mediated Machining of Chelators to Bind and Recover Valuable Metals. Metals are critical components of electronic devices and electrical products. Rapid disposal cycles create a major problem in managing e-waste metals and identifies an opportunity in the circular economy for recovery and re-use. Organic compounds that bind metal ions (chelators) are useful but could be improved to select a target metal from a mixture. This project aims to dissect a method used by bacteria to biosynthesiz ....Enzyme-Mediated Machining of Chelators to Bind and Recover Valuable Metals. Metals are critical components of electronic devices and electrical products. Rapid disposal cycles create a major problem in managing e-waste metals and identifies an opportunity in the circular economy for recovery and re-use. Organic compounds that bind metal ions (chelators) are useful but could be improved to select a target metal from a mixture. This project aims to dissect a method used by bacteria to biosynthesize chelators and hijack this to bioengineer new classes of chelators. Outcomes include new chelators and advanced knowledge of metal selectivity, with potential environmental and economic benefits arising from recovery of valuable metals. The project will benefit chemical biology research training for real-world applications.Read moreRead less