Critical Minerals

The Challenge

The challenge facing Critical Minerals sector is to meet the demand for processed metals driven by changing technical requirements and metal types for a low emissions economy.

Context

The industry recognises critical minerals present a once in a generation opportunity to re-strategise global supply chains. There is a collective demand from countries around the world to democratise the production, transmission, and consumption of energy, which is altering international balances and requirements of minerals.

A new national critical minerals strategy was released by the Federal Critical Minerals Office in June 2023. MRIWA will be working to help align Western Australian research programs led by the state’s universities, industry, and the WA government.

Current Activities

• M10610 – Yilgarn 2030
• M10623 – Establishing an Australian rubidium industry: Extraction and purification from pegmatite ore
• M10571 – Developing a Perth Critical Minerals Exchange (PCMX)
• M10485 – Development of cementation-magnetic separation method for sulfide mineral processing and AMD prevention (MRIWA PhD Scholarship for Women)
• M10479 – Critical Resources: Training Future Geoscientists from Discovery to Processing – ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre
• M10477 – Advanced electrometallurgy for improved recovery of green metals
• M10473 – Microwave Reactor for Critical Minerals
• M10453 – Beneficiation of Gold Telluride Ores (MRIWA PhD Scholarship)
• M10451 – Development and Application of Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries (VRFB)
• M10422 – Understanding the Mt Weld Carbonatite mineral system – a Critical Minerals super-resource in Western Australia
• M0563 – Processes at the interface between fluids and lithium minerals
• M0561 – Giant rare-metal pegmatites of the East Pilbara Terrane, Western Australia: Mineral systems analysis and terrane-scale exploration (MRIWA Odwyn Jones PhD Scholarship)
• M0533r – Responsible battery materials: advancing certification and reducing life-cycle impacts
• M0533k – Super Anode Proposal
• M10528 – Extraction of Clay-Hosted Rare-Earth Element Deposits in Australia
• M0524 – Innovative processes for leach liquor purification and production of battery grade LiOH from Li mineral resources (MRIWA PhD Scholarship for Women)
• M10569 – Cathode Precursor Production Pilot Plant (C4P) – Stage 3

Completed Activities

• M10598 – WA Critical Mineral Commodity Overviews
• M10515 – Western Australia Critical Minerals priority scheme
• M10481 – Accelerate Platinum Group Metals (PGM) Industry in WA  in Western Australia.
• M10470 – State of Play – Critical Minerals
• M0551 – Integrated 3G – Geochronology-geochemistry-grain shape: a new toolkit for mineral sands understanding
• M0541 – Organic Acid Leach System for Rare Earth Extraction Technology Development
• M0537 – The effect of water quality on rare earth minerals flotation
• M0533e– Hydrometallurgical Processing for Nickel and Cobalt Ores, Concentrates, Tailings, Wastes
• M0533f – Hydrometallurgical Processing for Nickel and Cobalt Ores, Concentrates, Tailings, Wastes – Stage 2
• M0533h – Cathode precursor production pilot plant in Western Australia
• M0533i – Benefication and Chemical Processing of Lithium Minerals
• M0533m – Electrochemical Testing of Li-ion Battery Materials in Standard Cell Formats
• M0533q – Development of a trusted supply chain for Australian battery minerals and products
• M0533v – Beneficiation and Chemical Processing of Lithium Minerals – Phase 2
• M0532 – Geology, Mineralogy and Metallurgy of eMaterials Deposits in WA