Critical minerals and the role of research
The University of Queensland’s (UQ) world-leading Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI)
As society transitions to a low carbon future, a sustainable and increased supply of critical minerals is vital to underpin new technologies. But to meet higher demand mining companies are required to produce quantities of minerals never seen before, and more mining presents more challenges.
Researchers at The University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) are focused on developing the technologies and approaches to address global sustainability challenges. Their multidisciplinary team integrates expertise in geoscience, mining, mineral processing, workplace health, safety and risk, environmental management, social responsibility and organisational improvement.
Within SMI’s WH Bryan Mining Geology Research Centre researchers developed the Mineral Deposit Atlases and the New Economy Minerals compilation for the Geological Survey of Queensland (GSQ), to deliver geoscientific information and interpretations as a resource for explorers. The Centre also works on mine waste characterisation and the work of Associate Professor Anita Parbhakar-Fox and her Mine Waste Transformation through Characterisation (MIWATCH) Group, is leading the way in analysing mine waste as a potential supplementary secondary resource.
The Group partnered on the Atlas of Australian Mine Waste developed by Geoscience Australia to determine the presence of critical metals at waste sites, and therefore their ‘re-mining’ potential. The Group’s contributions included first pass investigations and characterizing dozens of sites.
Earlier this year they also hosted the inaugural Australian Mine Waste Symposium in partnership with GSQ. The aim was to bring together experts from different industries to share their perspectives and knowledge on current waste management in Australia and to shape a meaningful conversation on the future of mine waste.
Professor Mark Noppé
Director of SMI’s WH Bryan Mining Geology Research Centre, Professor Mark Noppé says the breadth and depth of expertise in SMI creates unique capabilities and collaboration to address the challenges and opportunities associated with minerals and metals supply.
“Collaboration is at the heart of what we do,” he says, “We work with industry, governments, civil society, communities, Indigenous peoples and intergovernmental organisations.”
As part of SMI’s involvement with the Resources Centre of Excellence in Mackay, researchers at the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre developed the concept design for a critical minerals pilot processing plant.
The Future Industries Hub FlexiLab is a common-use facility to test and process minerals essential for energy technologies, and provide a space for resource sector research, development, and training. It is intended to help prove the commercial viability of processing critical minerals such as cobalt, nickel, zinc, vanadium, molybdenum, silica, alumina and rare earth elements.
The increased mining and processing required for a sustainable critical mineral supply brings risks for the environment and communities. Researchers in SMI’s Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining recently published a piece in The Conversation that outlined the results of mapping Australia’s critical minerals deposits against socio-economic data to identify the communities most at risk.
The study showed some of the country’s most disadvantaged areas have the most abundant critical minerals.
While mining in these regions can create local jobs and business opportunities, it can also cause harm. The downsides include land and water contamination, loss of biodiversity, destruction of cultural heritage and liabilities after mines cease production. Some of these impacts last for generations and these must be understood and addressed.
Mark Noppé agrees.
“I am very conscious, and I’ve heard others raise as a concern also - that in the race for the supply of new energy minerals and the effort different countries are putting in to finding new or alternate supplies - we could risk fast tracking development in a way that may not be best practice and could potentially compromise working in a sustainable responsible way.
“But this is where SMI has great strength. We are thinking about tomorrow - how we develop and apply our research to prepare the runway for the sustainable mineral supply needed by our economies, industry and people,” he says.
The University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) is the academic partner of AusIMM’s 2024 Critical Minerals Conference.