Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100582
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,000.00
Summary
Unlocking Rare Earth Elements from the Earth Crust. This project will explore the mechanisms controlling the mobility of Rare Earth Elements (REE) in natural and engineered hydrothermal systems. The project will generate essential geochemical and thermodynamic data of important REE host minerals, and thereby significantly improve our capacity to quantify the behaviour of REE during complex ore-forming and hydrometallurgical processes. The anticipated outcomes include: facilitate discovery of new ....Unlocking Rare Earth Elements from the Earth Crust. This project will explore the mechanisms controlling the mobility of Rare Earth Elements (REE) in natural and engineered hydrothermal systems. The project will generate essential geochemical and thermodynamic data of important REE host minerals, and thereby significantly improve our capacity to quantify the behaviour of REE during complex ore-forming and hydrometallurgical processes. The anticipated outcomes include: facilitate discovery of new REE deposits by improving understanding of their formation; and facilitate optimisation and development of innovative techniques for REE ore processing. This knowledge and expertise will help Australia to become a world leader in supplying REE for the transition to a carbon-neutral economy.Read moreRead less
Impact of melt loss on crustal heat production and Earth geodynamics. This project plans to develop a thermodynamic tool set to calculate the amounts of rare earth elements, thorium and uranium in monazite and link its growth and radiogenic heat budget to rock evolution. Thorium (Th) and uranium (U) produce 83 per cent of the heat in Earth’s continental crust. Vast tracts of high-heat-producing rock from hot, deep parts of the crust defy the notion that such crust is depleted in Th and U. The ca ....Impact of melt loss on crustal heat production and Earth geodynamics. This project plans to develop a thermodynamic tool set to calculate the amounts of rare earth elements, thorium and uranium in monazite and link its growth and radiogenic heat budget to rock evolution. Thorium (Th) and uranium (U) produce 83 per cent of the heat in Earth’s continental crust. Vast tracts of high-heat-producing rock from hot, deep parts of the crust defy the notion that such crust is depleted in Th and U. The causes of high heat production in the deep crust remain unclear. This project will develop a tool set to calculate the Th and U concentration in minerals (eg monazite, zircon) and silicate melt as a function of depth, temperature and rock composition. This tool set would be of great benefit to the geoscience community for better understanding fundamental geodynamic processes.Read moreRead less
Fluid-induced creation and decay of porosity and permeability in minerals. This project aims to investigate the role of hydrothermal fluids in the creation and decay of porosity and permeability in minerals. By developing new experimental techniques and undertaking experimental studies mimicking natural conditions, this project expects to generate knowledge of the fundamental relationships between fluid-mineral reactions, pore creation and decay, pore geometry and connectivity, and the mechanism ....Fluid-induced creation and decay of porosity and permeability in minerals. This project aims to investigate the role of hydrothermal fluids in the creation and decay of porosity and permeability in minerals. By developing new experimental techniques and undertaking experimental studies mimicking natural conditions, this project expects to generate knowledge of the fundamental relationships between fluid-mineral reactions, pore creation and decay, pore geometry and connectivity, and the mechanism for the formation of fluid inclusions. This should provide significant benefits such as a deeper understanding of the hydrothermal fluids flowing through tight rocks in the Earth’s crust to form orebodies, and provide a scientific basis to underpin the development of greener technologies for recovering natural resources.Read moreRead less