ARC Centre for Excellence for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals - Annual Report by The University of Newcastle

ANNUAL REPORT 2020

ARC Centre of Excellence for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals acknowledges the support of the Australian Research Council and the NSW Government. We also acknowledge the in-kind and financial support from all our national collaborative organisations:The University of Newcastle (administrative node), The University of Queensland, Deakin University, The University of Melbourne, Monash University, University of South Australia, Curtin University and University of New South Wales. We also acknowledge the support from our Industry Partners: CSIRO, AMIRA, FLSmidth and Jord International.

UNIVERSITY PARTNERS

INDUSTRY PARTNERS

INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS

OUR TEAM

OUR CENTRE • About COEMinerals • Our Mission • Message from Director • Issues Affecting the Progress of the Centre • Governance Structure • Executive Committee

9 10 12 12 15 15

INDUSTRY CHALLENGES • Industry Challenges • Aims • Thematic Objectives • Case Study: BHP Tailings Challenge

18 18 18 20

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Our Team Executive Committee Chief Investigators: By Node Associate Investigators Partner Investigators Research Associates PhD Students Honours Students Professional Staff Technical Support Staff Industry Partners Spotlight on: Marta Krasowska

24 26 36 50 55 56 58 58 59 60 62 64

OUR ACTIVITIES

RESEARCH PROGRAMS • • • • •

Overview Program 1 Program 2 Program 3 Case Study: New Tricks

69 70 80 86 90

• Overview • Communications and Media • 2020 Highlights • Signature Lecture and Seminar Series • Equity and Diversity • Training and Mentoring • Publications

94 97 98 100 102 105 107

PERFORMANCE • Key Performance Indicators 2020 • Financial Statements • COEMinerals 2021 Plans

110 113 114

OUR CENTRE • About COEMinerals

• Our Mission

• Message from the Director

• Issues Affecting the Progress of the Centre

• Governance Structure

• Executive Committee

ABOUT COEMinerals The ARC Centre of Excellence for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals (COEMinerals) is a collaborative Centre established between eight Australian Universities – University of Newcastle (Administrative Organisation), University of Queensland, University of Melbourne, Deakin University, Monash University, University of South Australia, Curtin University and University of New South Wales; as well as CSIRO, industry partners and leading international researchers. The urbanisation of the developing world, the emerging green economy needed to rebuild our energy systems and the digital revolution have together resulted in an unprecedented global demand for metals. Low carbon technologies require lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese and copper (Timperley, 2018), while smartphones contain up to 62 different metals (Rohrig, 2015) including the rare earths. With a projected global population of nine billion by 2050, demographic forecasting indicates strong growth in the need for these resources over the long term.

The technological, economic and environmental dilemma, however, is that the declining grade of the more accessible minerals, increasing complexity of mineralogy, and the growing need to extract the minerals from deeper mines, has reached a tipping point for sustainability. COEMinerals’ objectives will be to ensure the sustainability of the Australian minerals industry through higher metals recovery while reducing costs and environmental impact along with lowering energy and water usage. Over the next 7 years, more than 70 PhD students and 15 postdoctoral researchers together with consortia members, will deliver transformational technologies and capabilities to benefit the industry and the environment. This will pave the way for critical advances in the availability of metals-based innovation in the future, as well as the establishment of a new generation of research leaders to support the innovation needed in creating a green economy for future generations. The work of the Centre is focused on addressing three thematic objectives via research programs involving internodal collaboration across 51 projects.

OUR MISSION The Centre seeks a sustainable competitive future for Australia’s minerals industry through: • • • •

A reduced environmental footprint A significant reduction in energy and water consumption Higher resources recovery Future leaders to support the sector.

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR The Centre’s research program is focused on addressing significant challenges in minerals processing, specifically (i) reducing energy and water consumption, (ii) achieving faster and more efficient separations, and (iii) achieving solid-liquid separation to eliminate tailings dams. These objectives are critical to the broader goals of the sector of achieving zero emissions and reducing water consumption, but also of ensuring the Australian industry can contribute sustainably to the global shift from a carbon to a metals-based economy. The research program brings together leading capability from eight Australian universities and key overseas institutions, together with specific capabilities from CSIRO and contributions from our industry partners to achieve these objectives. These capabilities support an interdisciplinary program which covers novel hydrodynamic systems that underpin the separations, meso-scale physicochemical systems such as foams and emulsions in effective reagent delivery and product recovery, and novel bio and synthetic polymers for achieving powerful selectivity between minerals during separations and for promoting solid-liquid separation, especially ultrafine particles. The Centre formally commenced on July 29th 2020 and while the COVID-19 pandemic limited physical travel, new opportunities through Zoom and other platforms emerged. This meant the Executive Committee could engage very closely online throughout the year. The Centre also commenced its formal lecture series, with a Signature Lecture that alternated with an internal seminar each fortnight.

These attracted a global audience from both academia and industry and provided opportunities for people who were in varying degrees of lock-down to stay connected. The Centre recruitment was impacted significantly by the closure of the national border and, to a lesser extent, the state borders. However, it has maintained its requirements for high quality students while delivering on gender equity and diversity goals and had recruited 10 Research Associates, 3 PhD students, and 4 Centre staff by year end. The PhD recruitment process will continue through 2021, the aim being to attract high performing domestic and overseas PhD students. The individual research projects listed in this report were defined through Project Schedules. Formal sign-off required early engagement of the key researchers from across Australia and overseas in the discussions via Zoom. The ability of the Nodes to physically connect, to transfer technology and ideas was, however, impacted directly by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centre research projects are now broadly underway, supported by a mix of honours, postgraduate and other research staff. Strong growth in domestic travel is anticipated through 2021 allowing the Centre collaborations and technology transfer between universities and the industry to evolve. New Case Studies are being developed with the industry in parallel with the Centre projects, ensuring a focus on the short, medium, and longer-term needs of the sector. We therefore look forward to reporting on early impact from the Centre research.

Issues affecting the progress of the Centre Without doubt, Centre progress has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This was listed as a factor in the temporary withdrawal of one of the industry partners, along with another external factor. Progress on the sign-off of contracts was slow and tedious as organisations around the world dealt with matters of very high priority. The Centre therefore adopted the strategy of directing the focus onto the so-called “Header Agreement” of the partner organisation, and away from the individual Project Schedules. This strategy was successful, leading to the completion of the contracts by the middle of the year. The individual Project Schedules involved a significant amount of work to complete the documentation and incorporate the relevant background IP. The project leader and subsequently the other key researchers were brought into the final discussion, ahead of the partner organisations. These were finalised by the end of the year. Full sign off should be completed by early 2021. Academics in Melbourne were impacted significantly for most of the year, making it very difficult to commence their activities in any meaningful way. Zoom meetings were conducted every two weeks. By far, the closure of the national border has had the greatest impact on the establishment of the Centre. International interest from students and research associates was received, however, it was necessary to be very careful in making offers to people who could not travel to Australia.

- Laureate Professor Kevin Galvin

INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY PANEL

DIRECTOR

ADVISORY BOARD

CENTRE CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER

RESEARCH PROGRAMS REVIEW COMMITTEE

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

STAKEHOLDER COMMITTEE

RESEARCH PROGRAM COMMITTEE

PROGRAM ONE

PROGRAM TWO

CHIEF INVESTIGATORS ASSOCIATE INVESTIGATORS INTERNATIONAL RESEARCHERS ECRS, MCRS PHDS TECHNICAL STAFF PROFESSIONAL STAFF

PROGRAM THREE

GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE Whilst the Centre’s administrative functions are based in Newcastle under the leadership of its Director, once fully established its activities will be directed and governed by an Executive Committee, Stakeholder Committee and two high-level advisory bodies – an Advisory Board and an International Advisory Panel. During 2020, with the constraints imposed by responses to COVID-19, the Centre’s governance was managed primarily by the Executive Committee, with meetings held fortnightly throughout the year. While the Steering Committee, which included industry partners, existed during the early phase of the year, formal establishment of the Stakeholder Committee did not occur until after the partner agreements had been secured. The Terms of Reference will be confirmed in early 2021 focusing on representation of partners, rules for on-boarding of new partners, and processes to support the strategic direction of the Centre. Due to the slow progress of Centre recruitment through the second half of 2020, finalisation of the higher-level Advisory Board and International Advisory Panel was postponed. The Advisory Board will provide high-level advice on strategic direction, Centre performance, and strategies for maximising Centre impact, while the International Advisory Panel will provide an assessment of the research performance, and advice on future directions.

Had these bodies been established at the time of the Centre Proposal a period of two years would have lapsed, with little or no progress, making it difficult to sustain the interest of Board members. The Chairs, who were identified at the time of the proposal, have been in discussion with the Centre Director on their composition. The finalisation of the Boards is now emerging as a priority. The aim is to achieve a relatively high level, independent Advisory Board that has some representation from the Stakeholder Committee, but importantly has connections into the sector, government, research centres and growth centres. Considerable consultation has occurred, aimed at securing the right balance from multiple perspectives.

COEMinerals Executive Committee comprises the Director, Deputy Director, COO, Node Leaders and Deputy Node Leaders. The Executive Committee is responsible for: • • • • • •

Developing and implementing the strategic plan. Allocation of resources, and research priorities and support. Implementing policies and/or procedures on equity and diversity, outreach & communication and Code of Conduct etc. Strengthening internal links across the Centre and external links with industry and prominent research centres around the world. Reporting on Centre performance and KPIs Operation of sub-committees.

Executive Committee COEMinerals Centre Director, Laureate Professor Kevin Galvin (UON), with the assistance of the Deputy Director Professor Bill Skinner (UniSA), is responsible for implementing the strategic direction, managing the research program, coordinating the research effort and overseeing the reporting structures across the participating organisations. Annemarie Fawkner, Centre Chief Operations Officer (COO), is responsible for Centre management, finance, and administration. Node Leaders are responsible for the operations of their nodes, reporting to the Director and COO. Node Directors, in consultation with Research Program Leaders, co-ordinate the research programs with the individual nodes to ensure appropriate resource allocation and accountability while also developing an environment of creative harmony.

INDUSTRY CHALLENGES • Industry Challenges

• Aims

• Thematic Objectives

• Case Study: BHP Tailings Challenge

INDUSTRY CHALLENGES The growth in global demand for resources presents a diabolical challenge for the minerals industry: the need to accommodate this demand while addressing the declining grade of the more accessible ore bodies, increasing complexity of the mineralogy, and the increasing need to extract the minerals from deeper mines. The recovery and concentration of particles of high metallurgical value, known as beneficiation, is based on relatively mature paradigms, reflecting an industry that has evolved gradually over more than a century with a conservative and risk-averse culture. This means that for the industry to meet global demands for renewable energy, clean cities and smart electronics, new methods of mineral processing are needed. Our Centre is focused on the immediate, medium, and longer-term horizons of the industry. These perspectives are crucial given the pressing needs of today and the realisation that new knowledge, capability and innovation need to be assembled in parallel over the longer term. Strong two-way communication ensures the Centre is aware of the opportunities within the industry, and the industry is aware of the Centre’s capabilities. The Centre operates through an evolving portfolio of technologies, with new disclosures entering the pipeline and existing technologies progressing to higher technology readiness levels. Researchers cannot transform the sector, but can enable its transformation by creating value propositions through collaboration to harness “the possible”, through step-change improvements and solutions to intractable problems. Ultimately, we are driven by our overarching central mission to reduce energy and water consumption while maximising mineral resource recovery and product grade.

Currently we are investigating opportunities to transform tailings recovery of tin in NSW using novel gravity separation and are currently assembling a team to develop new approaches to recover and concentrate rare earth minerals in Western Australia, addressing an existing intractable problem. We have also secured approximately 5 tonne of chalcopyrite from north Queensland to support new laboratory investigations covering relatively coarse particles. Other work has been conducted on samples of silver and platinum. This applied work is proceeding in parallel with well-defined research projects that aim to build fundamental understanding of novel systems and future technologies. - Laureate Professor Kevin Galvin

AIMS COEMinerals seeks to enable transformational change in minerals processing. We have adapted industry goals to arrive at our own stretch-targets to: •

double energy and water productivity in the mining sector by 2030, maintaining the drive towards the ‘zero-emission mine’.

•

reduce the loss of high value metals during minerals processing by 90%, while increasing the concentration of the recovered products used in metals refining, meeting the escalating global demand for metals.

THEMATIC OBJECTIVES Reduction in energy and water consumption The process of grinding rocks down to ultrafine particles is the single biggest consumer of energy in the minerals industry. Our objective is to deliver new technologies to reduce the use of energy and water by as much as 50%. New crushing modes to achieve fracture along the mineral grain boundaries, novel reagents, and new separators to remove the waste rock at a coarser size offer significant prospects.

Fast and efficient separations We will apply our advances in f ast and efficient beneficiation of fine particles to achieve a 10-100 fold increase in separation speed, and significant reduction in the plant foot-print. This approach helps to redefine economically what is a tailings stream. Our approach will be achieved primarily through enhancing hydrophobic interactions and novel system hydrodynamics, to increase product recovery, selectivity and hence product grade.

Dry stackable tailings We will apply our advances in ‘fast, efficient beneficiation’ of fine particles to solid-liquid separation in order to recover waste solids, reducing water losses and increasing water productivity. We will then recover targeted solids and exploit hydrophobic interactions to enhance de-watering.

Fact: more than 60 different metals are required to make a smartphone including gold, copper, aluminium, silver, zinc and lead. Rare earths provide smartphones with their functionality, to vibrate or even to generate the colour display. 19

BHP TAILINGS CHALLENGE CASE STUDY The ARC Centre of Excellence for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals is pleased to announce that the chief investigators Associate Professor Seher Ata (University of New South Wales) and Laureate Professor Graeme Jameson (University of Newcastle) are part of the proposal led by UNSW that has been selected to advance to the 2nd round of the BHP Tailings Challenge. The Challenge aims to deliver new technological solutions and business models for reusing copper tailings. The UNSW proposal will apply strategies to foster a circular economy approach including tailings reprocessing, repurposing and management and minimisation of the environmental footprint. The BHP Tailings Challenge is supported by Fundacion Chile through its Expande program and the Foundacion will provide a total of $US10 million in funding to successful researchers. A/Prof Ata and L/Prof Jameson will bring their extensive knowledge and wealth of experience in froth flotation to convert mining waste into valuable materials. In the proof-of-concept stage, the NovaCell developed by L/ Prof Jameson, along with other innovative solutions, will be used to extract valuable minerals while removing harmful heavy metals from tailings streams.

Fact: copper ranks as the third-most-consumed industrial metal in the world, after iron and aluminum, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). About three-quarters of that copper goes to make electrical wires, telecommunication cables and electronics.

OUR TEAM • Our Team

• Executive Committee

• Chief Investigators: By Node

• Associate Investigators

• Partner Investigators

• Research Associates

• PhD Students

• Honours Students

• Professional Staff

• Technical Support Staff

• Industry Partners

• Spotlight on: Marta Krasowska 64

OUR TEAM

COEMinerals is committed to its mission which is to ensure a sustainable future for the critical mineral resources industry in Australia. Our people underpin this mission through the capability and dedication they bring to the project and through their engagement with the sector, recognising that each person can make a distinct contribution to the larger picture which is about enabling transformational change. Our PhDs and Early to Mid-Career Researchers will emerge as future leaders.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Laureate Professor Kevin Galvin Director Program 1 Leader University of Newcastle Kevin is the inventor of the RefluxTM Classifier used in gravity separation of fine particles. With over 170 installations around the world, the technology has been used to beneficiate minerals such as iron ore, mineral sands, coal, potash, chromite, and other base metal oxides. New innovative systems are emerging including the Reflux Flotation Cell through collaboration with FLSmidth, the Graviton and Sink-Hole Fluidiser. He has also been developing a novel agglomeration technology. Kevin obtained his PhD from Imperial College and is a Laureate Professor at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering and previous recipient of numerous awards including the Clunies Ross Award, Ian Wark Medal, and Antoine Gaudin Award in Mineral Processing. He is Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals, leader of Program 1, and leader of specific research projects within that program. 26

Annemarie Fawkner Centre Chief Operations Officer University of Newcastle Annemarie is the Centre Chief Operations Officer and has extensive experience in the areas of senior management, administration, strategic planning, implementation, compliance, quality systems and training. Prior to the COO role she was the Hub Manager for the ITRH, ARC Research Hub for Advanced Technologies for Australian Iron Ore. She has over 11 years’ experience working with National Government and State regulatory bodies and has worked within the education, mining, transport, logistics and hospitality Industries. Over her career she has written, implemented, monitored and maintained compliance and quality systems, as well as creating effective learning and training programs from operational to work, health and safety within these industries.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: BY NODE LEADERS

Professor William Skinner Deputy Director/Node Leader Program 1 Co-Leader University of South Australia

Professor Karen Hapgood Node Leader Program 2 Leader Deakin University

Bill is a Research Professor at UniSA, and Research Leader in Minerals and Resource Engineering. Holding a BSc in Physics (UOM) and a BAppSc & PhD in Applied Physics (RMIT), Bill has been researching the physics and chemistry of mineral particles in processing environments for nearly 30 years, with an emphasis on surface-pulp chemistry via advanced spectroscopies, including XPS, ToF-SIMS and synchrotronbased techniques. He is closely linked to the minerals processing through a range of applied R&D provision, and jointly leads the 33-year AMIRA P260 Flotation project and is Deputy Director of the ARC Training Centre in Complex Resources. Bill is Deputy Director and UniSA Node Leader of the Centre, leading projects in characterisation and the fast recovery of coarse, composite and fine particles, using low footprint flotation technologies.

Karen is recognised globally for her influence on elucidating and controlling key steps in industrial particulate processes, Karen is the Node Leader at Deakin University and also co-leads Research Theme 2 (with George Franks and Liza Forbes) and will focus on interactions of hydrophobic particles with fluids and binders to achieve improved separation and dewatering. This will build upon her expertise in agglomeration, and on her expertise in forming particulate structures based on hydrophobic particles such as liquid marbles. Throughout Karen’s career she has been a strong advocate for women in engineering after often finding herself to be the first female engineer in various roles, making her the ideal champion for Equity and Diversity in the Centre. As a recognised academic leader, she is also a member of the Centre’s Executive Committee.

Professor George Franks Node Leader Program 2 Co-Leader University of Melbourne

Associate Professor Chun-Xia Zhao Node Leader Program 3 Leader University of Queensland

George is an expert in mineral particle aggregation for application in solid liquid separation and to improve recovery of fine particles in froth flotation. His work has focused on characterisation of aggregate size and structure and how these attributes are influenced by process flow conditions such as shear rate. He has pioneered the use of responsive polymers as flocculants and collectors in mineral processing. He will use these skills to develop new processes to separate solids from liquids in managing tailings as well as how to selectively recover valuable fine particles during froth flotation. His work involves development of novel polymeric reagents for use in mineral processing which can switch from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. In addition to his work in mineral processing he is one of Australia’s leading ceramic powder processing researchers. He is Co-Leader of Program 2, Node leader for the University of Melbourne and is coordinator of the Centre Signature Lecture and Seminar Series. He is coordinating the training program for the students and ECRs along with Chun-Xia Zhou.

Chun-Xia is currently a Group Leader and UQ Amplify Fellow at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland. She is the Program Leader and UQ Node Leader in the Centre, focusing on developing new engineered polymeric reagents for minerals processing. Chun-Xia’s research has attracted more than $7 M in research funding since 2011, including six Australian Research Council projects as the lead investigator and two national prestigious fellowships (ARC Future Fellow (2015-2019), and Australian Postdoctoral Fellow (2011-2014)), many UQ grants and industry projects since 2011. She leads a research team with a focus on bioinspired engineering and biomimetic materials for various applications. She has been recognised for scientific excellence with a 2016 UQ Foundation Research Excellence Award. She has been appointed as member of the Australian Research Council College of Experts (2019-2021). She has published in top journals (Nature Comm, Science Advances, Angewandte Chemie, ACS Nano, etc.), and delivered more than 20 keynote and plenary talks in international conferences. She serves as the Editor-in-Chief and Editor for several journals, and also reviews articles for top journals (Nature Comm, Angewante, Advanced Materials, Biomaterials, etc).

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: BY NODE LEADERS

Professor San H. Thang Node Leader Deputy Director Program 3 Co-Leader Monash University San is a professor in the School of Chemistry, Monash University. He is a worldrenowned expert in the field of polymer chemistry, specifically the areas of polymer design and synthesis by radical polymerisation process, where he has made a number of seminal contributions. His most outstanding contribution is the discovery of the Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain Transfer (RAFT) process. For achieving the development of RAFT, he was elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology Engineering in 2010; he was awarded a Thomson Reuters Citation Laureate Chemistry, which named him as a contender of Nobel Prize Chemistry in 2014; he was elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2015. In 2018, he was appointed in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List a Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AC) for his ‘eminent service to science, and to higher education, particularly in the fields of polymer chemistry and materials science, through seminal contributions as a research innovator, as a mentor, and to the community’. San is a prolific researcher, he has to date published more than 150 papers with an H-index of 50. He is also a named co-inventor of 25 family patents.

Associate Professor Elham Doroodchi Node Leader Program 1 University of Newcastle Elham is an expert in the field of multiphase flows. Elham studies hydrodynamics of particle laden flows experimentally and theoretically. The focus of her research is on particle-fluid and particle-particle interactions with the aim of bridging the gap between the fundamental understanding of interaction of phases at particulate scale and the equipment-scale application of multiphase flows. Her work is leading to improvements in energy efficiency and transformative advances in industrial scale multiphase flow systems such as flotation cells, Reflux Classifier, separators, and mixers. As a project leader in Program 1, Elham uses advanced techniques to quantify bubble-particle interaction in a turbulent environment and develop a fundamental understanding of the coarse particle detachment experienced in flotation processes. The goal is to establish design criteria for development of new flotation systems in which particle detachment remains negligible, without compromising the system throughput or recovery efficiency.

Professor Vishnu Pareek Node Leader Program 1 Curtin University Vishnu is an expert in the field of process simulations and design. He has conducted extensive applied research for several multinational companies such as Chevron, Woodside and BP. Recently, in collaboration with Woodside, his team has developed a novel packing system for distillation and absorption columns, which will significantly reduce energy consumptions and reduce the footprint of columns. For this invention, Vishnu received Curtin University’s 2019 Innovation Award. In 2019, he was awarded the title of John Curtin Distinguished Professor for his contribution to research and academic leadership. Vishnu is also currently serving as the Dean of Engineering at Curtin University. Prior to this, he had been the Head of School for the WA School of Mines: Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering (2018-2021). He has a PhD from the University of New South Wales, an MTech from IIT Delhi and BE (Hons) from the University of Rajasthan, all in Chemical Engineering. Vishnu is a cricket tragic, which was indeed the decisive factor for him to choose Australia for his PhD. He hopes to inspire more Indigenous students into the engineering profession.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: BY DEPUTY NODE LEADERS

Professor David Beattie Deputy Node Leader Program 3 Co-Leader University of South Australia David is a Research Leader in the Future Industries Institute (FII) at UniSA. He is the Co-Leader (along with Dr Marta Krasowska) of the Surface Interactions and Soft Matter (SISM) Group within FII. The science of the SISM Group falls into 2 main areas of fundamental chemistry: (i) bubble and droplet interfaces; and (ii) polymer layers at interfaces. These areas of chemistry are essential for the understanding and development of industrial applications in the areas of: (i) mineral processing; (ii) lubrication; (iii) food texture and stability; and (iv) nanomedicine and biomaterials. David was educated in his home country of Scotland, obtaining his BSc (Hons) degree in Chemical Physics and PhD in Chemistry from the University of Edinburgh. After completing his studies, he undertook postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford, during which time he was awarded a British Ramsay Research Fellowship. He joined UniSA in November 2000. He was promoted to the level of Senior Research Fellow in 2007, to Associate Research Professor in 2011, and Research Professor in 2017.

Professor Peter Scales Deputy Node Leader Program 1 and 2 Research Program Committee University of Melbourne Peter is an expert on the relationship between particle dispersion, suspension rheology and solid-liquid separation with application in the thickening, filtration and pumping of mineral suspensions. The application in the minerals industry is predominantly in the recovery of water from tailings streams and the safe placement of tailings into storage facilities. The work in the Centre will focus on new ways of flocculating mineral suspensions to produce higher solids tailings as well as controlling the influence of clays and other fine gangue minerals that make tailings disposal difficult. This will involve looking at new ways of particle aggregation where the influence of fine particles is a benefit rather than a detriment to the process. He is one of the three cross-cutting theme leaders with responsibility for tailings management and tailings disposal, including the re-envisaging of tailings into products.

Dr Liza Forbes Deputy Node Leader Program 2 Co-Leader University of Queensland Liza Forbes specialises in mineral flotation, with specific focus on flotation reagent chemistry, mineral surface chemistry and base-metal sulphide electrochemistry. Her main interest lies in integrating fundamental and applied aspects of flotation research, to develop new and improved processing technologies. Liza graduated with a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cape Town in 2007. Since then, she has worked at the N.B.Keevil Mining Institute, University of British Columbia; the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Melbourne; and CSIRO Mineral Resources before joining the Julius Kruttchnitt Mineral Research Centre, University of Queensland.

Liza has previously worked as a metallurgist at the Bafokeng Rasimone Platinum Mine, Anglo Platinum in South Africa. She has since been involved with a number of industry research projects with major mining companies, equipment and reagent suppliers. She is also a Technical Director of the Collaborative Consortium for Coarse Particle Processing Research (CPR). This research initiative is run through the Sustainable Minerals Institute, UQ, and works in collaboration with seven major mining companies. Within the Centre, Liza is one of the Research Program Leaders for Program 2. As a CI, she investigates alternative collector addition strategies for improved flotation of coarse particles.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: BY DEPUTY NODE LEADERS

Professor Chris Aldrich Deputy Node Leader Program 1 Curtin University Chris is a pioneer in the development of computer vision systems in froth image analysis on flotation plants and early application of machine learning in mineral processing, Chris is an expert in process automation and artificial intelligence. His present research focus is on deep learning in the development of sensors and signal processing, diagnostic systems and advanced process control. During his early career in South Africa, he was a recipient of the then Foundation of Research and Development’s President’s Award and British Association Silver Medal. More recently, he was awarded a higher doctorate in extractive metallurgy from Stellenbosch University, in recognition of his research achievements. 34

Chris is a Fellow of the South African Academy of Engineering, Fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Chair of the International Federation for Automatic Control’s Technical Committee for Mining, Minerals and Metals and serves on the editorial boards of several leading academic journals. In addition, he holds positions as Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland in Australia and Extraordinary Professor at Stellenbosch University. To date, he has trained more than 70 higher degree by research students and remains actively involved in continuous professional development via short courses and workshops for the process industries.

Professor Geoffrey Evans Deputy Node Leader Program 1 University of Newcastle Geoff is focused on the fundamentals of multiphase fluid mechanics and interfacial phenomena applied to a wide range of industrial processes. His work concentrates on free surface phenomena and phase interaction between gas (bubbles), solid (particles) and liquid (droplet) phases, and involves a combination of experimental measurement and theoretical and computational modelling. Much of his research deals with the water and mineral and pyro-metallurgical processing, and includes fluidised beds, mineral flotation cells, and mixing and dispersion devices in particular.

Fact: nickel, second most abundant element after iron, major use is stainless steel (70%), but also batteries (5%) 35

CHIEF INVESTIGATORS BY NODE: UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE

Laureate Professor Graeme Jameson Program 1 Co-Leader

Professor Erica Wanless Programs 2 and 3

Graeme is a world leader in the theory and practice of froth flotation, with a special focus on the hydrodynamics of particles and bubbles, including froths. He is wellknown for the invention of the Jameson Cell which was introduced in 1989 and has since become a minerals industry standard. His recent research has centred on the extremes of flotation – the very fine and the relatively coarse particles. This work has resulted in two new flotation cells that are now being commercialised. The Concorde Cell is used for capture of ultrafines where contact is made in a shockwave generated by a sonic nozzle. The NovaCell is a general purpose flotation machine that can capture fine and coarse particles. The fines are collected in an aerated recycle stream while the coarse particles are captured in a fluidised bed.

Erica is a physical chemist focused on the characterisation of interfacial phenomena. Her research is concerned with the adsorption and behaviour of polymer and/or surfactant molecules or colloidal particles at phase boundaries. In the Centre these interfaces will include solid-liquid, liquid-gas and liquid-liquid interfaces as relevant to mineral flotation, foams and emulsions. A range of instrumentation will be deployed to understand, quantify and optimise adsorption to these interfaces including contact angle, interfacial tension, ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy, neutron reflectometry and quartz crystal microbalance. Erica’s Centre projects will specifically look at novel polymeric collectors, using polymers to optimise contact angle, and particle-stabilised emulsions and foams. These multidisciplinary projects will be collaborations between chemists and chemical engineers with common goals aligned to the Centre’s mission of power and water reduction in mineral processing.

Graeme is a Fellow of the Royal Society of London (FRS), the National Academy of Engineering in the US (NAE), the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK (FREng) and the Australian Academy of Science (FAA). His work has won numerous awards such as the Prime Minister’s Science Prize for Innovation and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the International Mineral Processing Congress (IMPC).

Erica is an active member of the Australasian Colloids and Interface Society and a current Board member.

Professor Grant Webber Programs 1, 2 and 3

Dr Roberto Moreno-Atanasio Programs 1 and 2

Grant is a research engineer focused on the study and control of interfacial phenomena. His research utilises a combination of instruments and techniques to link nanoscale characteristics to bulk phase behaviour. Results from atomic force microscopy, optical ellipsometry, quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring and neutron reflectometry and scattering experiments elucidate the structure of soft matter and solids surfaces, such as adsorbed surfactant layers and polymer films. This data id used to interpret bulk scale measurements such as suspension stability and rheology. This expertise will be used in the Centre projects developing novel flocculants to dewater tailings and other gangue streams, especially those containing clays. His experience with multiphase systems, and the use of additives to control these, will directly benefit Centre projects examining the use of permeable membranes to capture fine particles. Recently Grant has been harnessing electrostatic forces to move dry powder to liquid droplets, in a contact free method, to produce structures called “liquid marbles”. This research developed from earlier attempts to conduct “dry” mineral beneficiation, which the Centre will advance further.

Roberto has 21 years’ experience in the analysis of the behaviour of particulate systems in the presence and absence of fluid-solid interactions, with application to mineral processing and bulk powder behaviour. He uses a range of methodologies including simulations based on discrete element method and computational fluid dynamics. He complements his modelling work with experimental research on particle synthesis and characterisation, particle dynamics, multiphase flow analysis and utilisation of carrier particles and droplets. Amongst his main achievements is the publication of the first journal paper on the use of Discrete Element Modelling to model multiple particle-single-bubble systems and further work on the comparison and development of different hydrophobic force models. He has also developed the first computational model of the Reflux Classifier in collaboration with Kevin Galvin. More recently, his experimental work has demonstrated the capacity of using novel micron-sized reusable composite particles to capture ultrafine gangue materials such as clays and silica particles. These composites may be easily removed by using magnetic fields without the need for dewatering. He has also led research on the optimisation of the deposition of iron ore granules on sinter strands by controlling granule moisture content which has contributed to iron ore sintering process intensification.   37

CHIEF INVESTIGATORS BY NODE: UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE

Dr Peter Ireland Program 1

Professor Kenneth Williams Program 1

Peter is an expert in the electrostatic behaviour of particles and droplets and their application to materials processing. His work within the Centre applies electrostatics to achieve dry and water-efficient processing of particulate solids. This has a special focus on the recovery of essential resources in non-earth environments such as the moon or asteroids, where liquid water is at a premium and gravity may be low or absent.

Kenneth is a motivated in the translation of research and innovation to industry through implementation of advanced systems technology and training of associated personnel. As part of the research he is investigating the dynamics of moisture mobility under relatively mild oscillations through materials handling transport systems. Further advancement in this field will continue to be made in multiphase modelling approaches using DEM-SPH and DEM-CFD approaches. This moisture mobility research has led to developing innovative moisture reduction improvements to the field, which include leading and codeveloping moisture reduction systems used for industry. Ken has also established productive cross-disciplinary links within the University with other researchers through work involving the geotechnical group in civil engineering, chemical engineering, the technical marketing of coal and iron ore, self-heating assessment, environmental interfaces with the Global Centre for Environmental Remediation (GCER) and the International Centre for Balanced Land Use. Importantly it has also included advanced control technology for bulk material handling systems with the University’s mechatronics group. He also leads the international collaborative endeavours with Germany, China, Brazil, Turkey and the USA in materials handling. This inter-university collaboration, combined with his external university and research institute collaboration, shows the expanded vision he has for research and innovation collaboration nationally and abroad.

Peter completed his PhD in Applied Physics – his thesis was on the fracture of glass – and then moved on to problems related to chemical engineering. His research on the fundamentals of wet and dry electrostatic phenomena, and the charging of both solid surfaces and particles, has led naturally to work on the design of electrostatic separators for mineral beneficiation, and novel electrostatic methods for the manufacture of particle-liquid aggregates. In parallel with this, he has worked extensively on fundamental and applied aspects of multiphase systems such as foams, liquid films and bubbles, including particle and ion flotation, and technologies such as the Jameson Cell and Reflux Flotation Cell. 38

CHIEF INVESTIGATORS BY NODE: UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

Professor Anh V Nguyen Program 1

Dr Susana Brito e Abreu Programs 1, 2 and 3

Anh has been involved in flotation research and applications for more than 30 years. He is particularly interested in the flotation of extreme (ultrafine and coarse) particles, flotation of arsenic minerals, replacement of copper activation in base metal flotation, flotation in saline water, flotation of soluble salts, flotation of layeredstructure silicates, clay minerals in flotation and dewatering, flotation colloid and surface chemistry, and application of advanced diagnostic tools such as atomic force microscopy, high-resolution X-ray microcomputed tomography, and sum-frequency generation spectroscopy in flotation and mineral liberation research. His research activities within the Centre focus on coarse composite particle flotation, early gangue rejection, flotation froth, and dewatering of concentrated suspensions by centrifugation.

Susana has a Chemical Engineering (Industry) background and completed her PhD in Minerals Engineering at the Ian Wark Research Institute, University of South Australia. Her PhD focused on the application of surface analysis in mineral processing, in particular correlating Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) with particle hydrophobicity and flotation behaviour. She worked within the AMIRA P260 E & F projects as part of her PhD and post-doc research at UniSA.

Susana’s research focuses on mineral processing chemistry where she studies the underlying mechanisms of particle-bubble interactions in flotation, connecting mineral surface chemistry with particle hydrophobicity, flotation behaviour and ore mineralogy. Susana applies surface analytical techniques to study the effects of mineral surface chemistry in processing operations (e.g., grinding/ flotation) and to advance fundamental knowledge of flotation systems, which is in turn translated into industrial practice. She also investigates novel, eco-friendly reagents for flotation based on biomolecules. Within the Centre, Susana is investigating the impacts of mineral surface chemistry in flotation to advance current understanding of particle-bubble interactions, connecting the chemistry of the minerals with the particle-bubble attraction forces through both experimental and modelling approaches. She is also investigating the application of novel biomolecules in flotation systems.

Professor Yongjun Peng Programs 1 and 3 Yongjun studies the feed materials containing difficult-to-deslime clays in the presence of salts and applies Reflux Flotation Cell and novel reagents to minimise fine gangue entrainment in flotation in Program 1. This project has the potential to deliver significantly improved product cleaning. He also characterises stimuli responsive RAFT polymers and applies them in flotation to replace traditional collectors which generate overly stable froth in Program 3. This project has the potential to enhance selectivity in flotation and handleability of froth products in downstream processes. Yongjun specialises in grinding and flotation chemistry and has been working with mining companies to address challenges in mineral separation and coal processing. Currently, he is working on improving the flotation of base metal and precious minerals, reducing the deleterious effects of gangue minerals (e.g., clay minerals, serpentine minerals, iron sulphides and naturally hydrophobic minerals) and optimising flotation in saline water and low-quality process water.

Associate Professor Kym Runge Program 2 Research Program Committee Kym’s expertise is in flotation modelling, hydrodynamics and design for flotation equipment. Kym played a leading role in the development of JKSimFloat, a flotation simulation program developed to apply this research. This program is used worldwide to perform flotation circuit simulation. Since this time, she has supervised a number of PhD projects with the aim of modifying the flotation models to increase simulation accuracy and enhance model applicability. Kym has applied her flotation modelling knowledge extensively to assist industry to improve its processes, working as a flotation consultant for JKTech and later for 10 years within Metso Mineral’s Process Technology and Innovation team. During her time at Metso Mineral’s Process Technology, she was also involved in research aiming to improve conventional flotation cell design to improve flotation recovery, especially of the coarse particles. Within the Centre, Kym is leading a project investigating the use of tomography as a method of ore characterisation. She is also working on projects investigating the role of the turbulent environment on the detachment kinetics of coarse particles and industrial processes which promote particle/bubble adhesion in fine flotation systems.

CHIEF INVESTIGATORS BY NODE: UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

Associate Professor Mohsen Yahyaei Program 1 Mohsen has extensive experience in conducting applied research in mineral processing. He is an expert in modelling, optimising, and controlling mineral processing circuits using novel approaches and tools. Mohsen is leading the Advanced Process Prediction and Control (APPCo) research group in the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC). The research group aims to transform unit process modelling and simulation, moving on from the steady-state models previously developed at JKMRC to enable applying new techniques that make greater use of data generated on-site. For this purpose, his research group utilises sensor technologies combined with advanced process control, computational analytics and modelling techniques. Mohsen works with major mining companies and equipment suppliers under various initiatives. As the AMIRA P9Q project manager, Mohsen worked with six major mining companies and five suppliers. He is a member of AusIMM and a professional member of Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME). Mohsen is leading Project 4 within the Centre, which investigates underlying mechanisms of breakage around the grain boundaries in rocks. The project utilises novel breakage characterisation equipment developed in JKMRC and advanced computational modelling techniques to understand breakage mechanisms under different stressing conditions to establish a fundamental understanding of the breakage process.

CHIEF INVESTIGATORS BY NODE: UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

Dr Anthony Stickland Programs 1 and 2 Anthony is an academic in chemical engineering specialising in the flow and separation behaviour of particulate suspensions. In the minerals industry, this is applied to thickening, filtration, drying, pumping and stacking operations for mineral tailings. He has developed process models of filters for performance optimisation which are especially useful for compressible and impermeable tailings filtration. Dr Stickland is also co-inventor of a new continuous filtration device, High Pressure Dewatering Rolls, which has the potential to reduce the operating and capital costs required to produce stackable tailings. This device incorporates controllable shear effects to assist with dewatering. Anthony leads several projects within the Centre aimed at improving the efficiency of solid-liquid separation, including novel filtration processes, novel aggregation mechanisms, and methods to deal with high clay contents.

Fact: the average home contains 180kg of copper, with over 80% of copper ever produced still in use today.

CHIEF INVESTIGATORS BY NODE: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Associate Professor Marta Krasowska Programs 1 and 2 Marta is a Foundation Fellow in the Future Industries Institute (FII) at UniSA. She is the Co-Leader (along with Prof David Beattie) of the Surface Interactions and Soft Matter (SISM) Group within FII. Marta’s research interests, and that of the SISM group, focus on the interactions between soft and rigid interfaces as well as physicochemical properties of such interfaces. To understand how two bodies interact with each other is not only an exciting scientific challenge, this knowledge also has great potential to transform the understanding of colloid stability, food and cosmetic formulations, cell adhesion and in mineral processing. Marta obtained her MSc degree in Physical and Theoretical Chemistry from Maria Curie Sklodowska University in Lublin (Poland) and PhD in Chemistry from Jerzy Haber Institute for Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Science in Krakow (Poland). Marta joined UniSA in 2007 as a Research Associate at the Ian Wark Research Institute. She was promoted to Research Fellow in 2012, Senior Research Fellow in 2016, and Research Associate Professor in 2019.

CHIEF INVESTIGATORS BY NODE: UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES

Associate Professor Seher Ata Programs 1 and 3 Seher is an Associate Professor in the School of Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering at University of New South Wales, Sydney. She obtained her undergraduate degree in mining from Hacettepe University in Turkey and PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Newcastle. Seher’s research interests focus on fundamental and applied research in mineral processing with special emphasis on froth flotation. She has directly involved and managed a wide range of research projects which have concentrated on bubble-particle interaction, froth phase behaviour in industrial flotation cells, tailings reprocessing, and the impact of water chemistry on the efficiency of coal processing plants. Her research has also included coalescence of oil drops/bubbles and assembly of particles including nanoparticles at air-water and fluid interfaces, a process important for emulsions and bubble stabilisation. Seher publishes widely and has recently been included in the world’s top 2% of Scientists List. Seher will be involved in a number of research projects of the Centre, specifically in the recovery of coarse particles using bubble clusters, the flotation kinetic of fine particles in extremely turbulent environments and application of stimuli-responsive materials as selective collectors in flotation.

Fact: more than 187,200 tonnes of gold has been mind since the beginning of civilisation and makes up 3 parts per billion of the Earth’s outer layer.

ASSOCIATE INVESTIGATORS

Dr Ellen Moon Program 2 Deakin University

Dr Angus Morrison Program 1 University of Queensland

Ellen’s work focuses on mineral-water interactions. She will use techniques like X-ray absorption spectroscopy, small angle scattering and surface complexation modelling to characterise the surface properties of minerals and clays, and to investigate the molecular- and nano-scale interfacial interactions in novel hydrophobic materials, emulsions and flocs.

Angus has a decade’s experience in mineral processing and a background in nuclear and applied physics. His work links full-scale industrial research, detailed laboratoryscale hydrodynamic experiments using positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) and particle imaging velocimetry (PIV), and computational modelling of fluid and granular flows.

Dr Teresa McGrath Program 1 Curtin University

Associate Professor Alister Page Program 1 University of Newcastle

Teresa manages the Curtin Gold Technology Group and the AMIRA P420 Gold Processing Technology Project. She is the co-inventor of the Carbon Scout, recipient of the 2014 Curtin Innovation Award and is interested in all aspects of gold processing, including gravity, leaching/adsorption, optimisation, automation, sensors, benchmarking, gangue rejection and technology transfer.

Alister is a computational chemist whose research aims to characterise the chemical structure/reactivity of chemical interfaces using multiscale quantum chemical methods. Specific interests include condensed phase self-assembly processes, computational nanomaterial design, machine learning techniques and heterogeneous catalysis.

ASSOCIATE INVESTIGATORS

Dr Cathy Evans Program 1 University of Queensland

Dr Eirini Goudeli Programs 1 and 2 University of Melbourne

Cathy is an experienced mineral processing and geometallurgy researcher specialising in modelling how ore mineralogy and texture affect process response across the mining value chain, including modelling rock breakage and mineral liberation. Within the Centre, Cathy will participate in several projects, applying her expertise in quantitative ore characterisation using X-ray tomography.

Eirini is an expert in gas-phase particle synthesis and modelling. She will contribute to the Centre by supervising students to model particle-fluid interactions, and how aggregates can survive in shear environments encountered in mineral processing. Such information will assist in improving dewatering of tailings and recovering particles in froth flotation.

Dr Liguang Wang Program 1 University of Queensland

Dr Max Zanin Program 1 University of South Australia

Liguang’s research interests include thin liquid films, foams, froths, flotation monitoring and control, flotation process intensification, centrifugal dewatering and particle agglomeration. His research activities within the Centre will focus on experimental and modelling work on flotation and dewatering.

Max is Adjunct Associate Research Professor in Mineral Processing. Heavily industryconnected, Max jointly-leads the AMIRA P260 Flotation, delivering >$1.3b to industry. Max is an Associate Investigator involved in coarse particle flotation in the Centre.

ASSOCIATE INVESTIGATORS

Graeme Moad CSIRO Graeme’s expertise and capability relates to the design and synthesis of functional polymers, in particular, by radical polymerisation, but also using other methods. Within the Centre he will be involved with co-supervision of PhD students and post-doctoral fellows working in this area and aligned with the Centre’s goals.

Professor Neville Plint University of Queensland Research Program Committee Neville is the Director of the Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) at UQ. He brings strong leadership experience and a deep understanding of the mining sector, gained from UQ and extensive industry experience. Within the Centre, Neville is Theme leader for Theme 2 – Fast Efficient Beneficiation.

Other Associate Investigators

• • • • • • • • • •

Professor Jacques Eksteen – Curtin University (Research Program Committee) Dr Ben Muir - CSIRO Professor Roe-Hoan Yoon - VirginiaTech Professor Jan Miller - University of Utah Professor Jan Cilliers - Imperial College London Dr Kathryn Hadler - Imperial College London Professor Stephen Neethling - Imperial College London Dr Pablo Brito Parada - Imperial College London Professor David Weitz - Harvard University Fernando Concha - UDEC Chile

PARTNER INVESTIGATORS

Professor Steven Armes The University of Sheffield

Associate Professor Aaron Noble Virginia Tech

Steve works on many aspects of polymer chemistry and colloid science. Of particular relevance to this project is his work in the field of block copolymer nanoparticles prepared via polymerisation-induced self-assembly and his design of bespoke interfacially-active nanoparticles for the stabilisation of foams and Pickering emulsions.

Aaron’s role within the Centre is to serve as a liaison between the ARC Centre of Excellence and the Center for Advanced Separation Technologies (CAST) at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA, USA. Specific contributions will be in the application of process technology to the beneficiation of rare earth minerals.

Other Partner Investigators • • • •

Dr Colin MacRae - CSIRO Dr Nathan Webster - CSIRO Professor Robert H. Davis - University of Colorado Boulder Professor Zhenghe Xu - Southern University of Science and Technology

RESEARCH ASSOCIATES

Dr Peipei Wang Program 1 University of Newcastle

Dr Subhasish Mitra Program 1 University of Newcastle

Dr Tariqul Islam Program 1 University of Newcastle

Dr Mohammad Hoque Program 1 University of Newcastle

Dr Erica Avelar Program 1 Curtin University

Dr Eleanor Drake Program 1 Curtin University

Dr Negin Amini Program 2 Deakin University

Dr Shane Usher Program 2 University of Melbourne

Dr Dusan Ilic Program 1 University of Newcastle

Dr Casey Thomas Program 2 University of Melbourne

Other Research Associates •

Dr Guangze Yang Program 3 University of Queensland

Dr Girija Sahasrabudhe - Program 1 University of Newcastle

PHD STUDENTS Honours Students University of Newcastle • Siân Baynham • Luke Compton • Joshua Starrett • Rocco Prochilo

Gabrielle De Iuliis Program 1 University of Newcastle

Andrew Doi Program 1 University of Queensland

Bernard Agbenuvor Program 1 Curtin University

PROFESSIONAL STAFF

Michelle de Silva Node Manager University of Melbourne

TECHNICAL SUPPORT STAFF

Laura Jukes Technical Support University of Melbourne

Raul Cavalida Technical Support University of Melbourne

Antonio Moreno Workshop Craftsman University of Newcastle

Gai Shaolei Research Assistant University of Newcastle

Fact: particle breakage (Comminution), particularly grinding, is the largest consumer of energy on most base and precious metal mines and a significant consumer in other commodities. Some studies suggest that this process consumes nearly 2% of all electrical energy generated on the plant.

INDUSTRY PARTNERS

CSIRO

FLSMIDTH PTY LTD

CSIRO is Australia’s national science organisation and one of the largest and most diverse scientific research organisations in the world. Its research focuses on the biggest challenges facing the nation. One of the many research areas is mining and growing the value of Australia’s mineral resources, where being innovative, productive, competitive and sustainable is vital to Australia’s current and future prosperity. The CSIRO, through its Mineral Resources Business Unit, conducts multidisciplinary research and works with industry to grow Australia’s resource base, increase productivity and drive environmental performance. The business unit employs approximately 300 staff and its goals are to:

FLSmidth supplies the minerals industries globally with everything from engineering, single machines and complete processing plants to maintenance, support services and operation of processing facilities. Our organisation has a focus on copper, gold, coal, iron ore, fertilizers, and cement, providing one source for the products, solutions and services needed. The company has over 10,000 employees worldwide, with a base in 60+ countries including Australia.

• • •

Grow Australia’s resource base through working with industry to develop mining and processing technologies that unlock currently uneconomical resources. Increase productivity by optimising current processes and systems, and by delivering transformational technologies. Drive environmental performance through developing new technologies that provide global leadership in environmental stewardship.

FLSmidth recognises the importance of innovation in maintaining and in turn growing its business in mining and mineral processing. The company seeks to offer complete solutions to end-users, and to be the preferred supplier. While it has previously achieved this goal through strategic acquisitions, it now seeks to identify the best opportunities globally, and develop the new technologies through partnerships.

AMIRA GLOBAL

JORD INTERNATIONAL

Amira Global is a global not-for-profit member-based organisation with offices in Australia, Chile, USA, and South Africa, and provides a collaborative research platform to solve minerals industry mega-challenges globally. Our members include most of the world’s largest mining companies, many junior explorers and a substantial number of global minerals equipment, technology and service suppliers.

Jord International designs, manufactures, commissions and services custom process plant and systems. For nearly 50 years, the Jord Group has served the global energy and resource process industries and has delivered $5 billion of bespoke plant and systems to over 100 countries around the world. Jord recognises that unlocking new technology is essential for mineral processing operations to become more sustainable. The Group is heavily investing in multiple research initiatives with Newcastle University and mining companies to target challenges around four main priority areas: extracting more product, reducing water consumption, reducing energy consumption, and eliminating tailings dams.

In operation since 1959, our core purpose is to develop and manage collaborative projects that deliver new data, knowledge and technologies for the benefit of our members. Our primary objectives are to deliver solutions that will assist members to improve profitability and return on investment in all stages of the minerals value chain whilst maintaining outcomes that are aligned to community and environmental expectations. Member companies jointly fund the development of solutions to common challenges and jointly share the benefits. This combined funding enables Amira Global to recruit the world’s leading researchers to address industry problems and opportunities and to conduct sustained research which leads to the development of a stronger industry research base as well as pathways to implementation.

SPOTLIGHT ON: MARTA KRASOWSKA Working with the team at UniSA was a period of significant growth for me, as I transitioned from a leading researcher to a research leader, and my success in national competitive grants grew in accordance with my standing as a scientist.

Science across the Globe I started my research career in my home country of Poland, by undertaking higher education in Physical Chemistry, with a Masters degree from Maria Curie Sklodowska University in Lublin. I moved from there to undertake my PhD studies at the Jerzy Haber Institute for Catalysis and Surface Chemistry in Krakow, one of the Polish Academy of Science institutions. In both of these locations, I discovered my love for surface and interface chemistry, and the excitement of studying bubbles, which would lead me almost inevitably to the study of mineral flotation. Perhaps most crucially for my scientific journey, it was my time at the Jerzy Haber Institute that enabled me to be trained and guided by one of the most wonderful scientists in Poland, Professor Kazek Malysa, who took a bundle of almost uncontrollable energy and oversaw my development into an independent researcher (with slightly more control of my energies). The surface and interface chemistry community in Europe is exceptionally strong, and during the time of my studies, I was able to take advantage of opportunities to travel and work in different laboratories, including the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces in Golm (Germany), the Institute of Physical Chemistry Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia (Bulgaria) and National Research Council (CNR) Institute of Condensed Matter Chemistry and Technologies for Energy in Genoa (Italy). I was also able to travel many times to European scientific conferences, and it was during one of these meetings that I was introduced to Professor Roger Horn, one of the most esteemed scientists in the colloid community in Australia, and globally.

As most would know, Roger spent the bulk of his scientific career at the University of South Australia, working alongside someone who would become my boss and mentor: Emeritus Laureate Professor John Ralston, the Director of the Ian Wark Research Institute. It was this connection with UniSA and Adelaide that led me to apply for a research associate position at The Wark, and I moved there in 2007, just after completing my doctoral studies in Poland. I was recruited to work on the largest ARC Linkage grant ever awarded (and precursor to the subsequent scheme for Industrial Transformation centres and hubs): the Australian Minerals Science and Research Institute. I had five exciting years working alongside a cohort of young scientists from many universities in Australia, including those that are partnered in the new Centre of Excellence. It was during this period that my research extended beyond the fundamental considerations of bubbles interacting with surfaces, and toward the practical significance of this science in the area of mineral flotation. It also led me to develop expertise in a technique that I now love with a passion: atomic force microscopy. After that period, I was allowed to develop my research independently and build my own research group. It was in this period that I took two steps which led to future success: (i) I broadened the applicability of my science to encompass bubbles and droplets, and to the application of foam and emulsion research in food and biomaterials science; and (ii) I developed strategic partnerships with Prof David Beattie, Prof Bill Skinner, Prof Michael Samuel, A/Prof Bronwyn Hajek, A/Prof Anton Blencowe and many other wonderful UniSA scientists. This was a period of significant growth for me, as I transitioned from a leading researcher to a research leader, and my success in national competitive grants grew in accordance with my standing as a scientist.

This then led me to the establishment of a number of mineral processing-focused high tier funding initiatives, in which I became a core Chief Investigator including a Joint Research Centre in sensing for mineral processing in collaboration with Central South University in Changsha (China); a South Australian State Government Research Consortium grant linking my work with the University of Adelaide (which has subsequently extended into an awarded ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre); and finally, to the Centre of Excellence on Eco-Efficient Beneficiation in Mineral Processing. I now focus a significant amount of my time into studies relating to droplet-mineral interactions, and how this can be applied to the easier (and more efficient) recovery of coarse composite particles in flotation, an aim that if achieved will result in significant energy savings for the industry.

RESEARCH PROGRAMS • Overview

• Program 1 - Physics of Novel System Hydrodynamics

• Program 2 - Chemistry of Novel Hydrophobic and Selective Interactions

• Program 3 - New Engineered Biopolymers and Synthetic Polymers

• Case Study: New Tricks with Bio and Synthetic Polymers in Mineral Processing 90

OVERVIEW The ARC Centre of Excellence for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals (COEMinerals) has established a truly ambitious and transformative agenda. The CIs and PIs bring unique and complementary capabilities to the Centre, many having already made significant enough breakthroughs in their field to know there is a realistic potential for success in succeeding in the Centre’s mission. COEMinerals will foster strong collaboration between each of the institutions, across the research programs, driving a convergence of ideas, exploiting innovative platforms to ensure the core research objectives are met.

PROGRAM 1: PHYSICS OF NOVEL SYSTEM HYDRODYNAMICS Research Program Leaders: Laureate Professor Kevin Galvin, Laureate Professor Graeme Jameson and Professor Bill Skinner In the coming year the research groups will be assembling their teams and finalising the recruitment of PhD students. Very good progress was achieved through 2020 via the technology systems being investigated, especially in securing licensing agreements with partners. With agreements secured with Jord International on the Nova Cell and on Novel Agglomeration, new funding to support transformative case studies is expected through 2021. FLSmidth is also supporting the Reflux Flotation Cell, leading a major collaboration involving the Centre of Excellence with considerable EIT funding (European Institute of Innovation and Technology) in Europe. They are also funding a fullscale trial of the Reflux Flotation Cell technology at an Australian mine. Several potential case studies have emerged from discussions leading into this year, including the reworking of a tailings dam to recover and concentrate tin, and solving an intractable problem in recovering and concentrating rare earth minerals in Western Australia. Strategic engagement with the sector will be a feature of the Centre moving forward. 70

Program 1 has four sub-programs:

Our Objectives in 2021 are:

•

• • •

Characterising bulk and surface properties of minerals (Projects 1-8) Pre-concentration through coarse particle beneficiation to reduce the need for grinding (Projects 9-18) Fine particle separations to achieve faster and more efficient separations (Projects 19-27) Solid-liquid separations to eliminate tailings dams (Projects 28-32).

Four sub-programs seek to reduce energy and water consumption, while maximising the recovery of the resource to deliver high grade product. The 32 projects will run in parallel with emerging case studies, feeding advances in knowledge and capability to develop step change solutions in the sector. Cross-program collaboration will likely deliver solutions to intractable problems through enhanced reagent delivery and improved selectivity. In the coming year the research groups will finalise the recruitment of PhD students.

• • •

• • • •

Licence agreements with Jord International on the Nova Cell and Novel Agglomeration technologies to be completed. Commencement of major collaboration involving EIT funding in Europe and the Centre of Excellence. A full-scale trial of the Reflux Flotation Cell hydrodynamics proceeding at an Australian mine. A new case study utilising closely spaced inclined channels in the Reflux Classifier to commence, concerned with re-working of a tailings dam to recover and concentrate tin. Investigation of an intractable problem concerned with recovering and concentrating rare earth minerals in Western Australia. Characterisation and pre-concentration through coarse particle beneficiation commencing on multiple fronts. Centre projects supporting advancement in the BHP tailings challenge through collaboration with UNSW. Solid-liquid separation research commencing.

Our key message to stakeholders is that we are an inclusive and collaborative research centre, developing innovative technologies to reduce energy and water usage and increase metals recovery. We are creating a greener economy for future generations to come. - Laureate Professor Kevin Galvin

PROGRAM 1: PHYSICS OF NOVEL SYSTEM HYDRODYNAMICS (GALVIN, JAMESON, SKINNER) NO

TITLE

LEADER

KEY PERSONNEL

NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES

INDUSTRY

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

P1.1 Quantifying Bulk and Surface Properties of Minerals 1

Application of X-ray CT scanning in describing mineral surface liberation with increasing grinding and applied breakage mechanisms

Prof Bill Skinner (UniSA)

A/Prof Mohsen Yahyaei (UQ) Dr Catherine Evans, AI (UQ) Prof Jan Miller, AI (UoU) - AMIRA

Application of X-ray CT scanning in describing partition curves of mineral separators

Prof Anh V Nguyen (UQ)

Dr Catherine Evans, AI (UQ) Prof Jan Miller, AI (UoU)

The manipulation and analysis of data from XRT to quantify mineral surface liberation, with a particular focus on fine particle characterisation

A/Prof Kym Runge (UQ)

Investigation of breakage mechanisms on fracture along grain boundaries

A/Prof Mohsen Yahyaei (UQ)

Professor Chris Aldrich (CUR) Dr Catherine Evans, AI (UQ)

New techniques for quantifying fine particle mineralogy

Prof Bill Skinner (UniSA)

Dr Colin MacRae, PI (CSIRO)

Dr Catherine Evans, AI (UQ) Prof Stephen Neethling, AI (Imperial College)

N/A

UoU

N/A

UoU

N/A

Characterisation of clays, including the role of salts in copper flotation

Prof Peter Scales (UOM)

Measurement of surface chemical heterogeneity at the micron scale

Prof Bill Skinner (UniSA)

A/Prof Marta Krasowska (UniSA) Dr Susana Brito e Abreu (UQ) - AMIRA

N/A

Correlation of surface chemical heterogeneity at the micron scale with hydrophobicity and particle-bubble interaction forces

Dr Susana Brito e Abreu (UQ)

Prof Bill Skinner (UniSA) A/Prof Marta Krasowska (UniSA)

N/A

Dr Liza Forbes (UQ) Dr Nathan Webster, PI (CSIRO) Prof George Franks (UOM)

N/A

KEY:

UON

UOM

DEA

MON

UniSA

CUR

UNSW

CSIRO

FLSmidth

Jord

*See glossary on page 116 for list of University names.

PROGRAM 1: PHYSICS OF NOVEL SYSTEM HYDRODYNAMICS NO

TITLE

LEADER

KEY PERSONNEL

NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES

INDUSTRY

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

P1.2 Coarse Particle Separations 9

Enhancement of bubble-particle attachment and recovery at coarse particle size and low surface liberation

Prof Bill Skinner (UniSA)

Prof Anh V Nguyen (UQ) A/Prof Max Zanin, AI (UniSA) - AMIRA

Enhancement of bubble-particle attachment and recovery at coarse particle size and low surface liberation-Part II

Prof Bill Skinner (UniSA)

Prof Anh V Nguyen (UQ)

Interaction of bubble-particle clusters with a froth zone in coarse particle flotation

L/Prof Graeme Jameson (UON)

A/Prof Seher Ata (UNSW) Dr Angus Morrison, AI (UQ)

Determination of the Umf in fluidised bed flotation

L/Prof Graeme Jameson (UON)

Application of inclined channels in enhancing early gangue rejection through gravity and flotation separation-Applied

Prof Vishnu Pareek (CUR)

L/Prof Kevin Galvin (UON) - AMIRA - FLSmidth

Application of inclined channels in enhancing early gangue rejection through gravity and flotation separation - Fundamental

L/Prof Kevin Galvin (UON)

Prof Vishnu Pareek (CUR) Dr Angus Morrison, AI (UQ) Dr Kathryn Hadler, AI & Prof Jan Cilliers, AI (Imperial College) - FLSmidth

N/A

Influence of turbulence on coarse particle detachment from air bubbles

A/Prof Elham Doroodchi (UON)

Prof Geoffrey Evans (UON) A/Prof Kym Runge (UQ)

Density separation using the Sink-Hole Fluidiser

L/Prof Kevin Galvin (UON)

Prof Chris Aldrich (CUR) - AMIRA - FLSmidth

Investigation of novel granular flow mechanism for achieving a density-based separation

L/Prof Kevin Galvin (UON)

Dr Roberto Moreno-Atanasio (UON) Prof George Franks (UOM) Prof Chris Aldrich (CUR) - FLSmidth

Water-efficient electrostatic beneficiation

Dr Peter Ireland (UON)

Prof Karen Hapgood (Deakin) Prof Grant Webber (UON) Dr Kathryn Hadler, AI (Imperial College)

N/A

KEY:

UON

UOM

DEA

MON

UniSA

CUR

UNSW

CSIRO

FLSmidth

Jord

*See glossary on page 116 for list of University names.

PROGRAM 1: PHYSICS OF NOVEL SYSTEM HYDRODYNAMICS NO

TITLE

LEADER

KEY PERSONNEL

NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES

INDUSTRY

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

P1.3 Fine Particle Separation 19

Enhanced bubble-particle adhesion kinetics of ultrafine particles through bubble particle interaction in a shockwave at elevated pressure

L/Prof Graeme Jameson (UON)

A/Prof Seher Ata (UNSW) A/ Prof Kym Runge (UQ) Dr Angus Morrison, AI (UQ)

Enhanced bubble-particle adhesion kinetics of ultrafine particles in a shear field at an air bubble sparger surface

L/Prof Kevin Galvin (UON)

A/Prof Kym Runge (UQ) - FLSmidth

Fast flotation of fine particles

Prof Bill Skinner (UniSA)

L/Prof Kevin Galvin (UON) -FLSmidth

Counter current washing of a concentrated bubble column, quantifying the limits of flotation separability using novel release analysis

L/Prof Kevin Galvin (UON)

Prof Yongjun Peng (UQ) A/Prof Kym Runge (UQ) - FLSmidth

Mechanism for coarsening of flotation froths

Prof Anh V Nguyen (UQ)

Dr Liguang Wang, AI (UQ) Prof Roe-Hoan Yoon, AI (VT) Prof Stephen Neethling, AI (Imperial College)

Hydrodynamics of an emerging froth from a concentrated bubble column

Prof Geoffrey Evans (UON)

Dr Peter Ireland (UON) Dr Subhasish Mitra, RA (UON) Prof Jan Cilliers, AI (Imperial College) - FLSmidth

N/A

UoU

N/A

VT IC

Carbon removal from gold ores using novel agglomeration

L/Prof Kevin Galvin (UON)

Prof Vishnu Pareek (CUR) Prof Anh Nguyen (UQ) - AMIRA - Jord

Ultrafine recovery of precious metals using nano-scale permeable films of oil

L/Prof Kevin Galvin (UON)

Prof Vishnu Pareek (CUR) Prof Robert Davis, PI (Uni Colorado Boulder)

Ultrafine gravity separation using inclined channels subjected to different G forces including standard gravity

L/Prof Kevin Galvin (UON)

Dr Angus Morrison, AI (UQ) A/Prof Aaron Noble, PI (VT) Dr Pablo Brito Parada, AI (Imperial College) - FLSmidth

N/A

UCB

VT IC

KEY:

UON

UOM

DEA

MON

UniSA

CUR

UNSW

CSIRO

FLSmidth

Jord

*See glossary on page 116 for list of University names.

PROGRAM 1: PHYSICS OF NOVEL SYSTEM HYDRODYNAMICS NO

TITLE

LEADER

KEY PERSONNEL

NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES

INDUSTRY

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

P1.4 Solid-Liquid Separation and Dewatering 28

Investigation of water expression from thickened suspensions using high pressure dewatering rolls

Dr Anthony Stickland (UOM)

Prof Peter Scales (UOM) Prof Ken Williams (UON)

Influence of oscillatory motions on water migration, liquefaction and dewatering

Prof Kenneth Williams (UON)

Prof Peter Scales (UOM)

Application of G forces in the expression of water from concentrated suspensions

Prof Anh V Nguyen (UQ)

Dr Liguang Wang, AI (UQ) Prof Roe-Hoan Yoon, AI (VT)

Solid-liquid separation using nano-scale permeable films of oil

Prof Peter Scales (UOM)

Ultrafast particle recovery through formation of small hydrophobic aggregates

Prof George Franks (UOM)

L/Prof Kevin Galvin (UON) Dr Anthony Stickland (UOM)

Dr Liza Forbes (UQ) Dr Eirini Goudeli, AI (UOM)

N/A

KEY:

UON

UOM

DEA

MON

UniSA

CUR

UNSW

CSIRO

FLSmidth

Jord

*See glossary on page 116 for list of University names.

PROGRAM 2: CHEMISTRY OF NOVEL HYDROPHOBIC AND SELECTIVE INTERACTIONS Research Program Leaders: Professor Karen Hapgood, Professor George Franks and Dr Liza Forbes For the last 100 years, high value minerals have been ground to a fine particle size and then separated by adsorbing reagents, known as collectors, onto the mineral surface to make the minerals hydrophobic and attracted to bubble interfaces. New approaches are needed to exploit the full potential of hydrophobic interactions for i) separating coarser particles, ii) ultrafast and selective separations, and iii) separating almost all the liquid from the mineral particles at the end of the separation process. Our recent work shows a 10-100-fold increase in the processing rate can be realised via hydrophobic interactions, so we know there exists a tremendous upside to be achieved through our strategy.

Program 2 investigates the application of novel hydrophobic interactions utilising bubbles, emulsions, and foams, and the selective promotion of hydrophobicity at the mineral surface to support more robust, faster and more efficient separation technologies. This research seeks to extend the conventional notion of flotation into a far broader concept. Hydrophobic interactions are powerful, can be made selective, and potentially support very fast separations. The Program has three sub programs. The first sub-program (Projects 33-37) is related to understanding how novel polymers (developed in Program 3) can be applied to selectively and efficiently recover both coarse and fine particles by froth flotation and agglomeration. Such advances will reduce the degree of fine grinding required via the introduction of early gangue rejection and reduce the loss of fine valuable product to tailings. The second sub-program (Projects 38-41) seeks to develop novel systems to deliver reagents to the surfaces of particles to control their hydrophobicity for collection via flotation, or the ultrafast agglomeration in Program 1. The novel delivery systems will reduce the amount of reagent required and enable faster recovery of valuable particles, resulting in reduced processing costs.

Our objectives in 2021 are to: • • • •

•

• •

Hold an internal collaborative (virtual) symposium to connect researchers and their projects with new collaborative ideas and best practice. Begin RAFT synthesis of a range of bespoke polymers to test functionality and selectivity with a model minerals system. Test an initial set of novel peptide flotation collectors and depressants for metal ion selectivity and functionality including concentration at the interfaces. Examine the structure and stability of a range of Pickering emulsions, foams and liquid marbles to better understand the formation and dewatering of complex structured aggregates. Investigate approaches to selectively aggregate mineral particles, making those aggregates hydrophobic for selective recovery of particles via froth flotation. Investigate how pre-aggregating fine particles influences the amount of hydrophobic binder required to agglomerate and recover those particles. Investigate the effect of collector placement on the surfaces of bubbles rather than particles, and how it affects collector distribution between coarse and fine particle surfaces.

Program 2 brings together an exciting and diverse group of researchers with expertise in chemistry, biochemistry, geochemistry, process engineering and mineral separation expertise to collaborate on novel approaches to separating hydrophobic particles more efficiently. We will investigate how to control particle hydrophobicity through the application of novel polymers. We will use such knowledge to selectively aggregate particles so that valuable particles may be recovered by froth flotation and worthless particles removed from water for safer handling. - Professor Karen Hapgood

In order to facilitate further industry engagement with the Centre, Project 41 has been extended and aligned with the Collaborative Consortium for Coarse Particle Processing Research (CPR for short). The CPR program was formed in October 2020, and is managed by the Sustainable Minerals Institute, University of Queensland. The consortium industry partners include Aeris Resources, Anglo American, Glencore, Hudbay, Newcrest Mining, Newmont Goldcorp and Eriez Flotation Division. As part of the alignment, the consortium sponsors have agreed to host the experimental program for this project at one of their sites. The results of this project will be communicated to the industry sponsors as part of the CPR Program semi-annual technical review.

PROGRAM 2: CHEMISTRY OF NOVEL HYDROPHOBIC AND SELECTIVE INTERACTIONS (HAPGOOD, FRANKS, FORBES) NO

TITLE

LEADER

KEY PERSONNEL

NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES

INDUSTRY

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

P2.1 Flotation Collectors 33

Application of oils to enhance adhesion contact with coarse particles exhibiting low surface liberation

Prof David Beattie (UniSA)

Prof George Franks (UoM) A/Prof Marta Krasowska (UniSA) Prof San H.Thang (MON) - AMIRA

N/A

Application of oils to enhance adhesion contact with coarse particles exhibiting low surface liberation

Prof David Beattie (UniSA)

Prof George Franks (UoM) Prof San H.Thang (MON) A/Prof Marta Krasowska (UniSA)

N/A

Wetting, spreading, and adhesion of oils on composite mineral surfaces

A/Prof Marta Krasowska (UniSA)

Prof Erica Wanless (UoN) Prof David Beattie (UniSA)

N/A

Application of synthetic and biopolymers in selective recovery of minerals

Prof David Beattie (UniSA)

Prof George Franks (UoM) Prof San Thang (MON) A/Prof Chun-Xia Zhao (UQ), A/Prof Marta Krasowska (UniSA)

N/A

P2.2 Kinetic Limitations of Hydrophobic and Selective Interactions 37

Ultrafine particle deposition and adhesion with permeable hydrophobic surfaces

Dr Roberto MorenoAtanasio (UON)

A/Prof Grant Webber (UON) Dr Susana Brito e Abreu (UQ)

N/A

KEY:

UON

UOM

DEA

MON

UniSA

CUR

UNSW

CSIRO

FLSmidth

Jord

*See glossary on page 116 for list of University names.

PROGRAM 2: CHEMISTRY OF NOVEL HYDROPHOBIC AND SELECTIVE INTERACTIONS NO

TITLE

LEADER

KEY PERSONNEL

NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES

INDUSTRY

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

P2.3 Novel Delivery Systems 38

Binder adhesion of hydrophobic flocs

Prof George Franks (UOM)

Prof Peter Scales (UOM) L/Prof Kevin Galvin (UON)

N/A

Development of novel bespoke hydrophobic materials having large specific surface area to support selective separations

Prof Karen Hapgood (Deakin)

Prof San H. Thang (MON) Dr Ellen Moon (Deakin) Prof Steve Armes, PI (Sheffield)

N/A

UoS

Influence of hydrophobic particles on interfacial stability of emulsions and foams

Prof Erica Wanless (UON)

Prof Karen Hapgood (Deakin) A/Prof Chun-Xia Zhao (UQ) Prof Steve Armes, PI (Sheffield)

N/A

UoS

Investigation of direct reagent addition to bubble surfaces via the gas phase on hydrophobic particle recovery

Dr Liza Forbes (UQ)

Prof Zhenghe Xu, PI (SUST) N/A

SUST UBC

P2.4 Understanding the Influence of Hydrophobic Interactions in Dewatering 42

Thermodynamic guidance of RAFT polymerisation to control hydrophobicity at mineral surfaces

L/Prof Kevin Galvin (UON)

Prof San H.Thang (MON) Prof Bill Skinner (UniSA) A/Prof Alister Page, AI (UON) Prof Cyril O’Connor, (UCT)

Dewatering of small hydrophobic flocs

Dr Anthony Stickland (UOM)

Prof George Franks (UOM)

Application of responsive synthetic and biopolymers through reversible switching from hydrophilic to hydrophobic conformations

N/A

UCT

Prof Karen Hapgood (Deakin) Dr Ellen Moon (Deakin)

N/A

Prof Erica Wanless (UON) Dr Eirini Goudeli (UOM)

N/A

KEY:

UON

UOM

DEA

MON

UniSA

CUR

UNSW

CSIRO

FLSmidth

Jord

*See glossary on page 116 for list of University names.

PROGRAM 3: NEW ENGINEERED BIOPOLYMERS AND SYNTHETIC POLYMERS Research Program Leaders: Associate Professor Chunxia Zhao, Professor San Thang and Professor David Beattie Application of polymers as collectors in minerals processing is relatively new. Polymers have traditionally been used in flotation to suppress recovery of certain minerals, while high molecular weight polyacrylamides have been the foundation of flocculation in solid-liquid separation. New approaches to the synthesis of more effective and cheaper polymers are now available for exploitation in minerals processing. These could lead to better concentrate grades, higher mineral recovery and new polymers to achieve improved water recovery. Program 3 will use the knowledge of how polymers interact with minerals, coupled with novel synthesis concepts from chemistry and biochemistry, to design mineral processing chemicals that give unrivalled performance in recovering valuable minerals, whilst also allowing the recovery of as much water as possible. Polymers have been used extensively to stop unwanted minerals from being recovered and to manage the treatment of waste minerals. They have seldom been used for targeted recovery of the valuable minerals, and their use in water recovery from waste minerals has not seen a major advance in many years. 86

Program 3 has two sub-programs:

Our objectives in 2021 are:

The first sub-program (Projects 45-48) will address major challenges in: i) improving selectivity of valuable mineral recovery; and ii) producing easily dewatered waste mineral streams through aggregation of fines. For both biopolymers and synthetic polymers, the work will focus on developing macromolecules for targeted adsorption, i.e., the inclusion of specific chemistries that will ensure the polymer sticks to the intended mineral, and not to others in the mixture. Coupled with this targeting will be an inherent design characteristic that will allow the polymercoated mineral to present itself as hydrophobic as possible, ensuring optimum recovery – of minerals in the first instance, and of water in subsequent processing steps.

•

The second sub-program (Projects 49-51) will take the novel chemistry of the polymers designed in the first sub-program; these will be further exploited to develop stimuli responsive molecules for coating minerals. Stimuli, such as a change in pH, salt concentration, temperature, or exposure to light, can result in altered surface properties for polymer-coated minerals and therefore lead to altered process outcomes. Stimulus responsive polymers are employed routinely in areas such as biomaterials science to control surface interactions of relevance for physiological processes. Minerals processing has the potential to benefit greatly from adopting the paradigm of stimulus responsive surfaces.

•

• • • • •

Develop facile and quick platforms for screening good bio/synthetic polymer candidates for selective binding to specific minerals. Characterise the specific interaction of the selected bio/synthetic polymer with target model mineral surfaces. Conduct adsorption studies to understand specific binding mechanisms. Design biomolecules and RAFT polymers for achieving hydrophobic flocs from hydrophilic clays. Synthesise and characterise the designed biomolecules and RAFT polymers. Assess the interactions between the designed reagent and clays. Design stimuli responsive biomolecules and RAFT polymers for controlling froth stability.

Design inspiration from Nature - bioinspired engineering for a better world. Enabled by the diversity of the 20 naturally occurring amino acids, there is a large sequence and structural solution space for design. - Associate Professor Chun-Xia Zhao

PROGRAM 3: NEW ENGINEERED BIOPOLYMERS AND SYNTHETIC POLYMERS (ZHAO, THANG, BEATTIE) NO

TITLE

LEADER

KEY PERSONNEL

NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES

INDUSTRY

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS

P3.1 Engineering of Selective Polypeptide and RAFT Polymers 45

Development of biopolymer collectors for selective flotation of specific minerals

A/Prof Chun-Xia Zhao (UQ)

Prof David Beattie (UniSA) A/Prof Marta Krasowska (UniSA) Dr Susana Brito e Abreu (UQ)

Development of RAFT polymer collectors for selective flotation of specific minerals - Part II

Prof San H.Thang (MON)

Prof Erica Wanless (UON) Dr Liza Forbes (UQ)

Development of biopolymer reagents for achieving hydrophobic flocs from hydrophilic clays

Prof Grant Webber (UON)

A/Prof Chun-Xia Zhao (UQ) Prof George Franks (UoM)

Development of RAFT polymer reagents for achieving hydrophobic flocs from hydrophilic clays

Prof San H.Thang (MON)

Prof Grant Webber (UON) Prof George Franks (UOM)

N/A

Fact: Peptides or proteins are informational polymers made up of amino acids which are viewed as key building blocks to achieve specific functions, for example, specific binding to minerals [1]. The ability of peptides and proteins to change conformations in response to external such as pH, temperature, and the presence of substances, is ubiquitous in nature. Numerous natural and designed biomolecules have been developed to engineer stimuli-responsive systems for various application [2]. [1] Irina Matlahov et al. Chemistry of Materials, 2015, 27(16):5562-5569 [2] Karuppiah Chockalingam et al. Protein Eng Des Sel. 2007;20(4):155-61

P3.2 Hydrophobic-Hydrophilic Switching of Proteins and Synthetic Polymers 49

Development of stimuli responsive biopolymers for controlling froth stability

A/Prof Chun-Xia Zhao (UQ)

Dr Susana Brito Abreu (UQ) Prof. David Weitz, AI (Harvard)

Development of stimuli responsive RAFT polymers

Monash Chief Investigator

Prof George Franks (UOM) Prof Yongjun Peng (UQ) A/Prof Seher Ata (UNSW)

Development of stimuli responsive RAFT polymers for controlling froth stability

Prof Yongjun Peng (UQ)

Prof San H. Thang (MON)

N/A

HVD

N/A

KEY:

UON

UOM

DEA

MON

UniSA

CUR

UNSW

CSIRO

FLSmidth

Jord

*See glossary on page 116 for list of University names.

NEW TRICKS WITH BIO AND SYNTHETIC POLYMERS IN MINERAL PROCESSING CASE STUDY To address the increasing complexity of mineralogy, new reagents in minerals processing are highly sought after, hence the need to develop materials for improving selectivity and functionality with some additional new tricks. Fundamentally, particles lacking affinity with water can form through chemical adsorption and be recovered through hydrophobic interactions, (forces between particles and surfaces influenced by their “incompatibility” with water), to achieve adhesion with hydrophobic materials such as air bubbles. Next-generation reagents with better selectivity and functionality will revolutionise century-old mineral processing. Polymers can be seen almost everywhere around us, as they are used widely in our everyday life. They can be classified as biopolymers and synthetic polymers. Synthetic polymers have been used in mineral processing (e.g. polyacrylamides) mainly as flocculants. Undoubtedly, developing biopolymers or synthetic polymers as collectors for mineral processing is going to be a new trick. Biomolecules, such as peptides or proteins are informational polymers made up of amino acids and are increasingly viewed as key building blocks to achieve specific functions owing to their biocompatibility, sustainability and ease of functionalisation, coupled with facile methods for their economic manufacture. Enabled by the diversity of the 20 naturally occurring amino acids, there is a large sequence and structural solution space for design.

Program 3 adopts a much greener and more sustainable approach to address the challenges in mineral processing and focuses on designing and producing new and sustainable biopolymers and synthetic polymers to improve selectivity, specificity and stimuliresponsive properties. In this way valuable minerals can be efficiently recovered, and gangue (or worthless) minerals easily dewatered and removed. Furthermore, biopolymers and synthetic polymers can be designed to be smart so they can respond to external stimuli such as pH, temperature, salt concentration, magnetic force, or exposure to light. This will lead to altered surface properties of polymer-coated polymers and improve the process outcomes. We will develop facile and quick platforms for screening good biopolymer and synthetic polymer candidates for selective binding to specific minerals and will design biomolecules and RAFT polymers for achieving hydrophobic flocs from hydrophilic clays. Based on the initial screening and molecular design, we will synthesise and characterise the designed biomolecules and RAFT polymers for their specific interaction with target model mineral surfaces. Adsorption studies will be conducted using different advanced tools to understand specific binding mechanisms. Also, interactions between the designed reagent and clays will be assessed. To further functionalise these polymers, stimuli-responsive biomolecules and RAFT polymers will be designed and synthesised for controlling froth stability.

The clever design of biopolymers and synthetic polymers will enable the production of the next generation of mineral processing reagents. The resultant design, testing and deployment of these new reagents will enhance selectivity in flotation (from chemical functionalities that are proven to target metal ions present only on the valuable minerals), and the recovery of higher amounts of water from flocculated tailings. This research program will provide world-class training for our HDR students and research associates, equip them with multi-disciplinary knowledge and skills (including mineral processing, chemical engineering, bioengineering and biomolecular design, polymer chemistry and interface and colloidal science), and prepare them to become future leaders for driving revolutionary changes in mineral processing industries.

By Professor San H. Thang (MON) and Associate Professor Chun-Xia Zhao (UQ)

Image: Mineral processing with smart polymers and biopolymers. Artwork created by Ms Jing Wan.

OUR ACTIVITIES • Overview

• Communications and Media

• 2020 Highlights

• Signature Lecture and Seminar Series

100

• Equity and Diversity

102

• Training and Mentoring

105

• Publications

107

OVERVIEW A key focus during 2020 was the establishment of the Strategic Plan and planning for equity and diversity in all elements of the Centre. Development continued through creation of the following plans; communications and outreach, training and mentoring, research ethics, translation as well as the Centre’s Code of Conduct. These plans will be reviewed in May 2021, leading to a corresponding set of Centre policies.

Professor George Franks commenced the Centre’s monthly Signature Lecture Series via Zoom in September with well renowned national and international guest speakers.

The Centre’s promotion of PhD opportunities through media communication and advertisement commenced via an article in ‘Australian Resources and Investment’ in March 2020. With a target of 41 PhDs, we ramped up our national and International recruitment plan through our online media platform in June. However, with national border closures our ability to engage internationally with prospective students was curtailed.

Despite lockdowns, the University of Melbourne Node hosted an international meeting in the field of materials and minerals with their colleagues from Tohoku University.

The commencement date for the Centre was delayed to July 29th. With COVID-19 lock down restrictions causing limited access to universities and laboratories in many states, major national and international conferences were either cancelled or postponed to following years. The ARC therefore granted an option to commence the KPI documentation from 2021, ending in 2027. As a result, the 2020 outreach, education and engagement activities were minimal.

The US Consul General, Sharon Hudson-Dean, visited the University of Newcastle in December 2020 and met with Laureate Professor Kevin Galvin.

COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA Communication through a suite of online media platforms - LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, commenced in 2020, formalising our Centre Tagline ‘Minerals for our Future’. In the second half of 2020, we developed the first phase of our branding and website (www.coeminerals.org.au). Both are due to be finalised in April 2021. A Communications and Outreach Committee will be formed in 2021, with the purpose of making decisions and/or recommendations on Centre outreach, education and media activities. The group will also direct how the success and achievements of the Centre are communicated to government and the wider community, especially to inspire the younger generation and, in particular, encourage women into this field of endeavour. The Committee will consist of representatives from each state and will rotate personnel every year to provide emerging researchers a chance to contribute to the Centre’s communication and outreach activities. The Centre will engage a media/communication consultant in 2021 to train our members in the skills needed for clear science communication and promotion and to assist in the Centre’s communications activities.

2020 HIGHLIGHTS Significant progress was made in 2020 towards the establishment of a licensing agreement and commercialisation agreement on one of the key technologies in the Centre research program, novel agglomeration. This agreement is expected to be completed in 2021. Centre researchers were successful in establishing an external consortium with the minerals sector on optimising process flowsheets aimed at addressing a key Centre goal to minimise energy and water consumption. While this work is based around a specific technology, there is potential for other technologies in the future. A Centre partner secured a major European EIT grant focused on the scale-up of one of the Centre’s technologies, the Reflux Flotation Cell. This outcome connects Centre researchers with other significant researchers in Europe, including industry and universities. It is likely that research students in Australia will spend time with researchers in Europe.

A full-scale Reflux Flotation Cell has been installed into a mining operation, again focused on the scaleup of the technology. In parallel, laboratory scale work has been undertaken to build the underpinning knowledge of the system. The Centre Director has also participated in an international virtual conference by invitation, including an event organised by our partner AMIRA, and another event organised by Tata Steel with a large Indian audience. He also produced a manuscript on Process Intensification for the prestigious Danckwerts Lecture.

SIGNATURE LECTURE AND SEMINAR SERIES COEMinerals runs two series of presentations. Each month, we invite an eminent scientist or industrialist from around the world to deliver the Signature Lecture. These are public lectures where we invite all our Centre members including Investigators, Centre staff, students, Partner Organisation staff and others beyond the Centre. The person delivering the lecture is a well-respected internationally acclaimed speaker. The aims of these Lectures cover more general, topical subjects through to perspectives relevant to significant issues in minerals processing. These lectures are generally about 45 minutes in length followed by 15 minutes discussion and questions. The other alternating series the Centre runs within the month is the Seminar Series. The Seminars are shorter (20 minute) presentations generally of a more scientific or technical content. Currently these seminars are presented by Chief Investigators to Centre members, however over time these seminars will be given by Early Career Researchers and PhD Students. Two seminars are held within an hour leaving time for questions and discussion for each speaker. As the speakers are from across the globe and the Centre has members in about a dozen locations, the presentations are delivered online typically via Zoom. Prof George Franks from the University of Melbourne coordinates both and acts as MC. The inaugural Signature Lecture was held on 16 September 2020. Emeritus Laureate Professor John Ralston from the University of South Australia delivered the first,“Interfaces are critical to the eco-efficient beneficiation of minerals”. Other presentations are given across the page:

DATE

PRESENTER

TITLE

16 Sept 2020

Emeritus Laureate Professor John Ralston, University of South Australia

Interfaces are critical to the eco-efficient beneficiation of minerals

30 Sept 2020

Laureate Professor Kevin Galvin, Centre Director, University of Newcastle

Novel Hydrodynamics of the Reflux Classifier and Reflux Flotation Cell

Professor Peter Scales, Chief Investigator, University of Melbourne

Water and Tailings

14 Oct 2020

Lourdes Valle, BHP Global Principal Engineer – Process and Metallurgy

BHP: Tailings Challenge and Vision

28 Oct 2020

Associate Professor Chun-Xia Zhou, Chief Investigator, University of Queensland

Bioinspired engineering - new paradigms to develop innovative solutions Water and Tailings

Professor Peter Scales, Chief Investigator, University of Melbourne

RAFT: A Process for Making Better Polymers

11 Nov 2020

Professor Vincent Craig, Australian National University

Hydrophobic attraction – the long and the short of it

28 Oct 2020

Professor Jacques Eksteen, Associate Investigator, Research Director Future Batteries Industries, Curtin University

Mineral processing and extractive metallurgy

Professor Neville Plint, Associate Investigator, Director Sustainable Minerals Institute, University of Queensland

Research and Development in Mining - A Collaborative Future

101

EQUITY AND DIVERSITY The minerals and mining industry is currently leading bold initiatives in diversity and inclusion. A particular focus is currently on gender diversity, but the industry is also embracing strategies to attract Indigenous employees and to build inclusive workplaces more broadly. Several large companies, led by BHP, have set clear targets of 50/50 women by 2030, and they are making progress. In 2018 40% of BHP’s recruitment were women, up from 10% 3 years earlier. COEMinerals will contribute to the changing of the guard in this industry. The Centre’s diversity KPI is a at least 30% female researchers (CIs, AIs, RAs and PhDs) in years 1-3, rising to 50% female representation in years 4-7. We are currently on track with 40% female researchers. The Centre CIs and AIs represent a mix of career stages and pathways. During 2021, through the formation of a Gender Equity Diversity & Inclusion (GEDI) Committee, several policies will be developed and adopted at all Nodes. They will address equity, diversity and inclusion; including gender; work-life balance; speaker policy; part-time candidature; parental leave for all students and researchers (not just for women). We will leverage the best policies from each of our Nodes and draw initiatives from the SAGE Athena Swan action plans for bronze and silver award applications.

We are also conscious of the need to demonstrate a broad variety of careers and representation across the minerals industry to our CIs, researchers and PhD students. Therefore, the COEMinerals Lecture Series where possible will be designed to alternate female and male speakers, drawn from pools of both industry and academic guest speakers. Other aspects will be covered via training of all researchers in 2021, including responding to the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Respect@Work: Sexual Harassment National Inquiry (2020) findings. That report showed that 40 per cent of the mining and minerals industry workforce had experienced some form of sexual harassment in the past five years. Women were more than twice as likely as men to be sexually harassed. We will therefore work with all the partners of the Centre to raise awareness of this study and identify best practice to address this issue in the industry.

Fact: for the top 500 mining companies globally, only 5% of board members are women.

103

Fact: Curtin University’s Western Australian School of Mines is hosting 48 secondary school aged girls at the annual Girls’ Focus on Mining Camp in the Goldfields, more than twice the number of previous attendees.

TRAINING AND MENTORING Training Associate Professor Chun-Xia Zhao and Professor George Franks have been designing a crossdisciplinary, comprehensive training program for researchers that will cover both technical and professional training ranging from media skills to industrial experience. All new personnel joining the Centre will complete the COEMinerals online Onboarding module, to ensure they are familiar with the Centre, our Team and the Centre’s mission, governance, policies and procedures. The technical content will be delivered by the Centre CIs and PIs. The technical sessions will cover all aspects of mineral processing so that all students and postdocs will have advanced understanding of the discipline of minerals processing. There will be two sessions per year based on a two-year rotating system, to accommodate the on-going recruitment of PhDs. Many of the technical topics to be covered have been presented by the proposed Centre researchers either at other Centres or through their local programs. This means that collectively the Centre can provide well-developed foundation materials tailored to the Centre’s cohort.

The professional training will be delivered on the same rotation as the technical training and include topics such as equity and diversity, media and communications, time management, presentations, negotiations, IP and technology transfer and leadership. These will be delivered by professional consultants with experience in teaching these topics, as well as through our inhouse program. An electronic training log system will keep track of the Centre members’ training to ensure participation opportunities. Supervisors of the research students and ECRs will also be provided with additional training in supervision and handling of difficult situations. Such training will also be delivered to the CIs and any Research Associates who are co-supervising students. The first round of training will be conducted during July 2021, as part of the Centre’s Annual Conference.

Mentoring One of the first initiatives in 2021 will be the establishment of the Future Leaders Committee which will consist of both PhD students and ECRs. This is a great opportunity for PhD students and ECRs to become acquainted with their fellow COEMinerals members, while providing opportunities for ECRs to mentor their PhD colleagues.

Our main mentoring program will consist of 2-3 PhD & ECR group sessions per year which involve industry and academia. The mentors include both industry participants and academia providing different perspectives for PhD candidates and ECRs. The aim is to invite industry participants to talk for 10-15 mins about working in the industry followed by a Q&A session which will cover career development opportunities, work/life balance, etc. Academics will be present to answer any queries about academia. Each PhD student in our Centre has a supervisory team consisting of a primary supervisor and associate supervisor, ideally from other COE Nodes with complementary research background and skills. The primary mentor of the PhD students and ERCs is their supervisor. In addition, their associate supervisors will provide a separate point of view to guide their scientific and professional development. The PhD students will also be provided opportunities to visit and work with their associate supervisors in other Nodes. All COEMinerals members will attend an Equity and Diversity workshop which will be conducted by Professor Karen Hapgood.

105

PUBLICATIONS Kevin P. Galvin, Process Intensification in the Separation of Fine Minerals, Minerals Chemical Engineering Science, Vol 231, 2021 Gabrielle DeIuliis, Girija Sahasrabudhea, Robert H. Davis, Kevin P. Galvin, Water transport by osmosis through a high-internal-phase, water-in-oil emulsion, Chemical Engineering Science, Vol 232, 2021

107

PERFORMANCE • Key Performance Indicators 2020

110

• Financial Statements

112

• COEMinerals 2021 Plans

114

109

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS 2020 The Centre KPIs will be reported for 2021 - 2027 inclusive. However, some are provided below covering the Centre’s establishment period through 2020.

PERFORMANCE MEASURE

110

2020 TARGET

2020 ACTUAL

Number of research outputs

Journal articles

Quality of research outputs

60% of publications in the top 25% of journals in their respective field

Number of workshops/ conferences held/ offered by the Centre

- Signature Lecture Series (Industry based Webinars) - COEMinerals Seminar Series (Internal Webinars)

3 3

Number of additional researchers working on Centre research

- Postdoctoral researchers (Research Associates) - PhD Students - Associate Investigators - Honours students

7 3 5 4

11 3 8 4

Number of female research personnel

Inclusive of Research Associates, PhD Students, Chief Investigators, Associate Investigators and Honours Students

18%

40%

Number of patents

Disclosures, Provisional, PCT, Full patents

Education and outreach

Outreach activities

Media posts

Newspapers, journal/online articles, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, website etc

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS INCOME 2020

ACTUAL

ARC Grant Funds

$5,089,998

NSW Government RAAP Grant

$800,000

University Contributions

$958,510

Industry Contributions

$20,000

Total Income

$ 6,868,508

EXPENDITURE 2020

ACTUAL

Personnel

$478,267

Equipment

Maintenance

$57,059

Travel

$1,963

Other

$62,602

Total Expenditure

$599,891

Carry Forward 2021

$6,268,617

Financial Statement Notes: ARC Grant Funds include annual indexation. NSW Government (RAAP Grant) has been paid in advance, therefore Income will continue to remain proportionally larger until the latter years of the Centre. University Contributions incorporate University of Newcastle, University of Queensland, Deakin University, University of South Australia, Monash University, University of Melbourne and Curtin University. Industry Contributions – an invoice came through in mid-December but due to Christmas period funds were paid in early 2021. These funds will be included in 2021.

IN-KIND 2020

University of Newcastle

$699,541

University of Queensland

$360,802

Deakin University

$47,110

University of SA

$81,428

Monash University

$62 913

University of Melbourne

$85,148

Curtin University

$153,156

University of NSW

$45,760

Total in-kind

$1,535,858

Expenditure was lower due to various factors such as the late commencement of the Centre, 29th July 2021; COVID-19 which had an impact on PhD recruitment, laboratory access (project costs), travel restrictions and conference cancellations.

113

COEMinerals 2021 PLANS Outreach

Education • Commence the development of a schools’ education program. • Create ‘science kits’ from household products to be used as education tools (online video tool/classroom kits etc) to assist with understanding of beneficiation process. Public • Participate in outreach events and in particular National Science Week and other state and local events. • Deliver talks both to government and industry on research capabilities of the Centre currently and over the next 7 years.

Recruitment

•

Continue national and international PhD recruitment campaign.

Media and Communications

• •

Promote discoveries, events and achievements through our online platforms. Engage a media/communications consultant to assist in broadcasting Centre outcomes through alternative media channels.

Website and Branding

•

Finalise website and Centre branding by the end of April.

Admin Database - Cle(v)er

•

Mould and expand on Cle(v)er to assist the functionality of COEMinerals operations and KPI requirements by end of May (including node training of the online tool).

Training

• •

Develop COEMinerals Online Onboarding module for all new members to the Centre. Technical training on different aspects of mineral processing and polymers will commence in July at annual conference. This will consist of several modules on different aspects of mineral processing and polymer technology. For those who join after July and missed the first section we will continue training sessions on a 6 monthly rotating basis. Professional training will be conducted on a 6 monthly basis throughout the year starting in July at the annual conference with media training and diversity and inclusion training. Additional in-house training through the Future Leader Committee in May. Run 3 Gender Equity Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) training and information events in 2021: a webinar introduction as part of the seminar series, diversity and inclusion training at the annual conference mid-year, and a “Gender Equity Diversity and Inclusion in the Minerals industry” event with female and non-binary staff and students of the Centre, to discuss the key concerns and any potential barriers facing Centre participants.

• • •

114

COEMinerals 2021 PLANS Mentoring

•

Organise mentoring sessions with industry and academia.

• • •

Engage in at least 10 international and national conferences (conference numbers are lower due to COVID-19 conference postponements until 2022). Deliver several Industry series workshops throughout the year. Present COEMinerals 3-day annual conference in July.

Media and Communications

• •

Promote discoveries, events and achievements through our online platforms. Engage a media/communications consultant to assist in broadcasting centre outcomes through alternative media channels.

Advisory Boards

• •

Finalise membership of both the Advisory Board and International Advisory Panel. Create Terms of Reference (TOR) and organise 2021 meetings.

Committees

• •

Initiate Future Leaders Committee in March involving PhD students and Early Career Researchers. Form the Gender Equity Diversity & Inclusion (GEDI) Committee with representation of diverse group members across all Nodes. A particular focus on the topical issue of sexual harassment and a review of current institutional policies and best practice is anticipated given the current national discussion on this issue and the recently released statistics by the Minerals Council of Australia of the prevalence of harassment in the minerals industry broadly. Form the Communication and Outreach Committee which consists of representatives from each state.

Workshops and Conference

• Equity and Diversity

• •

Through the Gender Equity Diversity & Inclusion (GEDI) Committee develop policies on gender equity, diversity and inclusion; work-life balance; speaker policy; part-time candidature; parental leave for all students and research associates; respectful behaviour at work. Encourage attendance at AUSIMM IWD functions and University planned events.

Launch

•

Organise the COEMinerals Launch in Canberra at the at the Australian Academy of Science’s Shine Dome to coincide with COEMinerals 3-day annual conference.

Webinar Series

• •

Hold the Signature Lecture Series online monthly, with eminent scientists or industrialists invited from around the globe to speak. Deliver seminar series internally on scientific or technical content by our researchers. During 2020, the majority of the seminars were by our Centre CIs, but in 2021 we will transition to a mix of CIs and Research Associates and PhD students.

Reporting

•

Project reports due quarterly.

COEMinerals Administration

• • •

Review COEMinerals Plans. Create any outstanding correlating policies. Collate Key Performance Indicators throughout the year.

Fact: uranium export values are forecast to increase from $520 million AUD in 2020–21 to $659 million AUD by 2025–26 (in real terms), as prices continue to rise. 117

Glossary:

118

ARC

Australian Research Council

UoU IC VT UCB UoS SUST UBC UCT HVD

University of Utah Imperial College Virgina Tech University of Colorado Boulder University of Sheffield Southern University of Science & technology University of British Columbia University of Cape Town Harvard University

L/Prof Prof A/Prof ECR MCR CI PI AI RA HDR PhD

Laureate Professor Professor Associate Professor Early Career Researcher Mid Career Researcher Chief Investigator Partner Investigator Associate Investigator Research Associate Higher Degree Researcher Doctor of Philosophy

UON UQ UOM DEA MON UniSA CUR UNSW

University of Newcastle University of Queensland University of Melbourne Deakin University Monash University University of South Australia Curtin University University of New South Wales

ARC Centre of Excellence for Enabling Eco-Efficient Beneficiation of Minerals would like to acknowledge and thank: • Centre branding and publication design: Nic Weaver from Dream Weaver Creative - catchdreamweaver@gmail.com • Report: Annemarie Fawkner and Executive Committee • Editing: Evelyn King