Critical Resources: Training Future Geoscientists from Discovery to Processing – ARC Industrial Transformation

The Challenge

To bridge the gap between Mineral System Science and ore processing/metallurgical extraction, providing geoscientists with a much-needed understanding of the full value chain of the critical resources essential for the future of humankind.

Proposed Solution

The proposed ARC Training Centre in Critical Resources aims to train the geoscientists of the future. Training of PhD students and postdoctoral scientists will be primarily focused on bridging the gap between Mineral System Science and ore processing/metallurgical extraction, providing geoscientists with a much-needed understanding of the full value chain of the critical resources essential for the future of humankind. The proposed Centre would operate under the ARC Training Centre model delivering applied research primarily through postgraduate research student projects addressing real industry issues, with the intention of supporting permeability of exchange of researchers, students, trainees and mentors across academic institutions and industry, with communication and socialisation of results and outcomes to be promoted through multiple channels. The specific experimental designs, methods, tools and techniques will be defined in consultation with all stakeholders following a series of targeted workshops in the months of October and November 2022. The University of Western Australia has made available seed research funding to facilitate this networking initiative.

Proposed Benefit to WA

The centre would train next-generation (geo)metallurgists and geoscientists to establish metallurgical flowsheets using new technologies addressing the growing challenge of managing mine waste in our state through identifying opportunities for reuse and valorisation.

Outcomes from the research programs will include results from new targeted petrological experiments, which will be translated into renewed geological proxies to visualise and detect footprints of mineralised systems through cover with unprecedented accuracy and precision, and improved understanding of the behaviour of ore minerals and controls on their distribution. The sum of these knowledge gains would support more energy and cost efficient, environmentally friendly ore extraction and processing.