Realising Australia’s rare earth resource potential. This project aims to reveal the potential for undiscovered economic deposits of rare earth elements within the Australian continent. Future supply of these elements underpins societies transition to clean energy and embrace of high-tech applications. The project expects to greatly enhance our knowledge of Australia’s endowment of rare earth element resources using an array of traditional and innovative geological research methods. Expected out ....Realising Australia’s rare earth resource potential. This project aims to reveal the potential for undiscovered economic deposits of rare earth elements within the Australian continent. Future supply of these elements underpins societies transition to clean energy and embrace of high-tech applications. The project expects to greatly enhance our knowledge of Australia’s endowment of rare earth element resources using an array of traditional and innovative geological research methods. Expected outcomes of this project include a greater understanding of how, where and when rare earth element orebodies form in the Earth's crust. This should provide significant benefits to exploring for––and discovering––new orebodies that are required to secure global critical metal supplies. Read moreRead less
Bio-recovery of rare earth elements from Australian soils and mine tailings. This project aims to discover how microbes dissolve weathering-resistant phosphate minerals that contain valuable rare earth elements used widely in modern technology. This discovery would create new knowledge in the interdisciplinary fields of biogeochemistry and biohydrometallurgy, using an innovative combination of techniques in metagenomics, microbiology and mineralogy. Expected research outcomes include new, more ....Bio-recovery of rare earth elements from Australian soils and mine tailings. This project aims to discover how microbes dissolve weathering-resistant phosphate minerals that contain valuable rare earth elements used widely in modern technology. This discovery would create new knowledge in the interdisciplinary fields of biogeochemistry and biohydrometallurgy, using an innovative combination of techniques in metagenomics, microbiology and mineralogy. Expected research outcomes include new, more economic and environmentally sustainable biotechnologies for recovering rare earth elements and increasing phosphorus availability in Australian mineral deposits and soils. These outcomes should benefit the mining and agricultural sectors, by decreasing Australia's dependency on overseas REE supply and the use of fertilizers.Read moreRead less
Multiple vertical tectonic movements in a continental interior: consequences of flat-subduction and foundering of an oceanic plateau? This project will investigate how the subduction of particularly thick oceanic crust impacts on the landscape, climate, structure and composition of the adjacent continent. It will help in understanding the history and distribution of mineral and hydrocarbon resources, of similar provinces in Australia.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE180100070
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$966,283.00
Summary
Cutting-edge electron probe microanalysis driving Western Australia’s resource geosciences. This project aims to provide a new generation electron microprobe, with advances in trace element mapping and cathodoluminescence analysis to enable superior characterisation of a wide range of materials. The overwhelming demand for electron probe microanalysis from research groups in Western Australia requires renewal of over-subscribed, ageing facilities to drive innovation and alleviate bottlenecks in ....Cutting-edge electron probe microanalysis driving Western Australia’s resource geosciences. This project aims to provide a new generation electron microprobe, with advances in trace element mapping and cathodoluminescence analysis to enable superior characterisation of a wide range of materials. The overwhelming demand for electron probe microanalysis from research groups in Western Australia requires renewal of over-subscribed, ageing facilities to drive innovation and alleviate bottlenecks in advanced geosciences multi-capability workflows. The electron probe will drive underpinning geoscience, resources science and economic geology, as well as support a broad range of disciplines and diverse fields, such as nanotechnology, microelectronics and aquatic sciences.Read moreRead less