As part of the funding allocated by the Federal Government to the Trailblazer Universities program, $45 million has been provided for participating universities to access Australia’s national science agency CSIRO’s National Characterisation Capabilities and Facilities, providing them with access to specialist equipment and expertise to support the delivery of their projects.
The Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Trailblazer has selected three research projects from a recent call for expressions of interest to access CSIRO’s National Characterisation Facilities based on their alignment with the Trailblazer’s three pillars – University Transformation, Technology Readiness, and Commercialisation – and potential to drive innovation in the resources and critical minerals sectors.
Two projects selected are led by Dr Katy Evans from Curtin University’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, whilst the third is led by Dr Julie Pearce from The University of Queensland’s Gas and Energy Transition Research Centre.
Dr Katy Evans’ first project, The Brothers Rare Earth Elements Project, will utilise CSIRO’s Clay and Iron Ore Characterisation facilities in Waite (Adelaide), as well as their electron microprobe (EPMA) facilities in the Microbeam laboratory in Clayton (Melbourne), to conduct analysis of rare earth elements, an essential first step in resource definition and development of innovative processing strategies.
Dr Evans’ second project, The Pitfield Titanium Project, will access CSIRO facilities in Kensington (Perth) including their Geoscience Drill Core Research Facility, and specialist spectral interpretation services. The purpose of this project is to achieve a better understanding of the distribution of titanium mineralisation at Pitfield and the first order processes that control that distribution.
Dr Julie Pearce’s project, The Bowen Basin Basalt Project, aims to provide essential data to de-risk the development of a potential new process to extract rare earth elements (REEs) from mine overburden basalt core and waste rock. Dr Pearce will access CSIRO’s Clayton Microbeam laboratory (EPMA),as well as their 3D high-resolution X-ray computed tomography (MicroCT) facility in Kensington.
Dr Mark Pearce, Research Director for CSIRO’s Mineral Resources Characterisation Program, said he is “excited to work with Trailblazer scientists by providing not only great data but also collaborative opportunities with our scientists who are experts in mineral and material characterisation”.
With the increasing global demand for REEs, projects such as these provide an opportunity for Australia to develop world-leading capability in the translation of research outcomes into new exploration models and industry processes.
