Process Legacy

Project completed in two stages by Future Battery Industries CRC which receives allocation of MRIWA funds.

The Challenge

Maximising economically viable co-products and minimising waste resulting from lithium mining and processing operations, within a regulatory acceptable framework.

The Solution

Creation of a decision matrix and rigorous assessment process of mining and process streams currently co-disposed as waste, to determine suitability as by-products.

Inclusion of mineral residues as aggregate into geopolymer were demonstrated on the bench scale.

Investigation of mineral residues as stabilized road base and as sand in concrete.

Use of sequential leach tools to address knowledge gaps in risk identification and assessment by allowing for early detection of potential metalliferous drainage materials and subsequent mitigation at mine sites.

This project has shown that co-products can be assessed against criteria for their specific intended purpose.

Proposed Benefit to WA

The project developed knowhow within researcher, government regulator and industry participants.

Development of mine site leaching assessments will benefit participants and regulators through provision of assessment protocols that may reduce mine site closure risks.

The key benefit to industry, the regulatory bodies and the community arising from Leaching Environmental Assessment Framework (LEAF) Assessment sub-project was to provide more certainty and confidence in the commercialisation and re-use of by-product materials derived from mineral processing and related industries in an environmentally acceptable manner.

Research Output DOI

Predicting the stability of geopolymer activator solutions for optimised synthesis through thermodynamic modelling
DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2503.12942

Using XRD to Assess the Strength of Fly-Ash- and Metakaolin-Based Geopolymers

DOI: 10.3390/ma18092093

Achieving Optimum Compressive Strength for Geopolymers Manufactured at Both Low and High Si:Al Values –

DOI: 10.3390/buildings15162822

Optimisation of Activator Solutions for Geopolymer Synthesis: Thermochemical Stability, Sequencing, and Standardisation –

DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2506.12941

Copper heap leach residue aggregates in concrete: Properties and performance-

DOI: 10.1016/j.cscm.2024.e03212

Mitigating heavy metal leaching and ASR expansion in copper heap leach residue concrete using cement and cement-fly ash-silica fume blends: Experimental and microstructural insights

DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2025.143859

Durability properties of concrete containing copper heap leach residue as aggregates: experimental and analytical assessments

DOI: 10.1080/21650373.2024.2397718