Mining & Energy Innovation

Researchers at The University of Queensland have developed a new approach to copper production. It is widely applicable and suited to around 70% of all copper reserves. Processing the copper ore onsite avoids the CO₂ emissions and other costs of transporting the ore for smelting – instead this is carried out at the mine site to produce a higher value copper intermediate product.

The technology is based on an electrowinning approach but runs at higher efficiency with lower energy usage compared to traditional electrowinning. The power required for the electrowinning can be provided by onsite renewable energy generation.

The technology provides the following value to its users:

• • Reduced OPEX: Significant energy savings versus conventional electrowinning as more than half the energy for Cu EW is associated with oxidation of water.
  • CAPEX savings: Simpler hydrometallurgy process flowsheet (Leach-SX-EW) versus (Slurry EW) and no need for high temperature copper smelter/converter.
  • Clear separations of Cu, Co and Au allowing for efficient recovery of all three metals of interest.
  • Low environmental footprint (Low CO₂ if renewable electricity, no smelter gas, largely benign solids residue, opportunities for water recycling).

Radioactive elements are widespread in a range of mineral deposits and while some mineral processing operations can concentrate these in the ore concentrate and/or the tailings it is problematic for occupational health and safety, regulatory compliance and optimum long-term storage options.

Based on their understanding of the mineralogy, researchers at The University of Queensland (UQ) have developed a two-step leaching process to remove radionuclide contamination from a range of ores, ore concentrates and tailings.  Both stages in the UQ process require only mild conditions with no harsh high temperature or pressure processing steps.

The technology is expected to be applicable across a wide range of ores, including phosphates, coal, copper, bauxite, phosphate rock, and ores containing tin, tantalum, lithium, niobium, rare earths and gold deposits.

Key features

• Reduced radionuclide contamination in a wide range of complex ore bodies and tailings, including those containing lithium, rare earth elements and copper
• Improved prospects for obtaining mining approvals and export permits
• The University of Queensland process is low cost and effective when compared to competing processes.

Minerals and coal need to be beneficiated from ore/crudes before being sold into the market. Among the prevalent beneficiation methods, froth flotation is widely employed for fine and ultrafine sized fractions of ore.

Monitoring and diagnosis of flotation performance are increasingly more dependent on real-time measurements, especially in remote areas.  There is a pressing need to develop a low-cost and accurate diagnostic tool to monitor the flotation performance in real-time, enabling instant control of the operational variables to maximise and maintain flotation efficiency.

Researchers at The University of Queensland (UQ) have developed a novel sensor to monitor real-time flotation performance by measuring the drag exerted by the overflowing froth onto a cantilever beam.  The team designed a scaled-up sensor design for industrial application and has held successful field trials at a Central Queensland mine.

Key features

• Inexpensive, simple yet rugged construction
• Live monitoring and instant, remote feedback
• High accuracy compared to more expensive comparable measurement methods
• Easily scalable.

The mining and minerals industry face challenges of declining ore grades and increasing ore competence.

Researchers at The University of Queensland (UQ) have discovered that high voltage pulse (HVP) energy is attracted to mineralised particles and when applied to an ore stream HPV has been shown to selectively break high grade particles while keeping the barren particles intact. This finding has led to the development of a novel HVP enabled ore pre-concentration technique whereby ore particles can be broken as a function of their grade and then separated by screening into high-grade and low-grade streams.

To enable this operation to be conducted, the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) at UQ has developed an integrated HVP and separator system in a device that can be operated continuously.

Key features

• One step ore concentrator and separator
• Increased circuit capacity and reduction in ore wastage
• Reduction in downstream comminution energy requirements
• Reduction in costs of ore haulage.