Program 2

GEOMETALLURGY, GEOENVIRONMENT AND MINING

OBJECTIVES

• Create an integrated, cross-disciplinary geometallurgical research platform that delivers fundamental knowledge, tools and methods to the global mining industry for optimising sustainable and profitable mineral extraction.
• Develop more effective approaches to the definition of mineralogy, element deportment and texture using new technologies that can be linked to mineral processing performance and waste management, at a range of scales.
• Provide improved attributes or indices of processing performance that can be embedded into block models to define processing domains, which can be exploited in mine planning and optimisation.
• Deliver new cross-discipline geometallurgical education, training and awareness.

LEADER: Julie Hunt	ACTING DEPUTY LEADER: Owen Missen

---

ACTIVE PROJECTS

• Geological controls on grade by size fractionation (CRC ORE P1:006)
• Characterising supergene copper mineralogy using hyperspectral techniques (TMVC project)
• Far-field and near-mine footprints: Finding and defining the next generation of Tier 1 ore deposits (AMIRA P1202) – Module 4 (TMVC project)
• Mineralogical domaining of low grade and no grade zones using automated drill core logging at Cadia (TMVC project)
• Utilising industrial waste materials for AMD control (TMVC project)
• Geometallurgy of historic mine waste: Evaluating options for reprocessing (TMVC project)

COMPLETED PROJECTS

• Evaluating mineralogical fractionation at the Renison Sn mine
• Geometallurgical applications for sorting by surface analysis: review of status
• Micro-XRF analysis of drill core for geometallurgical characterisation and application to grade-by-size fractionation
• Geotechnical and geometallurgical assessment of the Cadia East deposit using Corescan automated core logging technology (TMVC project)
• Ore characterisation and geometallurgical modelling at the Productora Cu-Au-Mo deposit, Chile (TMVC project)
• Cadia East multi-element lithogeochemistry: Evaluation of trace element deportment important to processing (TMVC project)
• Geology and geometallurgical characterisation of the high Au, low Cu material at West Dome, Telfer (TMVC project)
• Development of effective short-term leach tests for water quality prediction (TMVC project)
• Metal extraction from mine tailings using bioleaching: Environmental and economic benefits (TMVC project)
• Determining bioaccessibility risks at the historic Aberfoyle tailing site, North East Tasmania (TMVC project)
• Extracting cobalt from legacy mine tailings
• Controls on mineralogical fractionation at the Gramalote Au deposit, Colombia
• Geometallurgical controls on mineralogical fractionation in porphyry copper deposits
• Geological controls on gold fractionation at the Carosue Dam deposit, WA
• LIBS analysis for geo-sensing
• New technologies for ore and waste characterisation
• Geological and geometallurgical characterisation of QPG veins, Mankayan District, Philippines (TMVC project)
• Quantification of gold-bearing pyrite in processing samples from Lihir gold mine (TMVC project)
• Integrated waste classification for best practice AMD prediction (TMVC project)
• Mineralogical and geochemical characterisation of historical slag: Evaluating environmental impacts and economic significance (TMVC project)