Transforming the Mining Value Chain
Research
The mining and mining services industry is a vital source of economic activity and jobs in regional Australia, and a major contributor to national income and wealth creation. Technical and business innovation is continually needed to maintain the industry's international competitiveness and to ensure that mining is conducted in an environmentally sustainable manner that is aligned with society's expectations. The value of all aspects of mining to Australia is encapsulated in the Mining Value Chain, extending from exploration and discovery through mining and processing to waste disposal. Along the chain, there are critical areas of industrial activity wherein improved efficiencies can markedly increase the value of Australia's mineral resources, and aid in the discovery of new resources, thereby benefiting the nation's economy.
The ARC Research Hub for Transforming the Mining Value Chain will make significant improvements to industry practices along the Mining Value Chain that will enhance ore deposit discovery, mineral processing, and environmental management of waste materials. The Research Hub brings together a multi-disciplinary research team that will tackle three of the industry's current technological imperatives and hurdles to growth, which define the principal aims of the TMVC:
- Detecting proximity to ore (footprints): Efficient discovery of new ore zones around current mine infrastructure
- Optimising geometallurgical prediction: Early acquisition and modelling of geometallurgical parameters
- Minimising geoenvironmental risks: Early identification of environmental issues for ores and wastes
These three research themes will be integrated around the application of technology developed at the TMVC and applied to drill core at the industry partners' mine sites. The anticipated outcome from this collaboration is the development of more efficient and environmentally sustainable exploration, mining and waste disposal practices that will lead to extended mine lives and employment opportunities in Australia's regional mining centres, and help in the discovery of new resources near existing mines.
Transformations to existing practices in the Mining Value Chain will be derived from advanced mineral characterisation methods developed by the TMVC, along with innovative technologies for their implementation, which will be applied much earlier in the Mining Value Chain than current practices permit. Early application of these methods will enhance decision-making and maximise productivity and profitability at Australian mine sites.
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TMVC sub-projects: 2015 to 2019. Sub-projects that did not proceed are in bold
| Sub-project number | Sub-project title | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Applying the explorers' toolbox to discover porphyry and epithermal Cu, Au and Mo deposits (AMIRA P1153) | Completed Q2 2018 |
| 1.2 | Lithocap footprints | Ended 2017 |
| 1.3 | Pyrite footprints | In progress |
| 1.4 | Applying pyrite chemistry to the search for sediment-hosted Cu-Co ores in the Proterozoic Capricorn Orogen, WA | Did not proceed |
| 1.5 | Geochemical and mineralogical vectors to ore, Bilihe-Hadamiao district, Inner Mongolia, China | On hold |
| 1.6 | Gosowong footprints | Did not proceed |
| 1.7 | Magmatic-hydrothermal transition features in Sn granites of Tasmania | In progress |
| 1.8 | Magmatic mineral chemistry as a tool for detecting fertile intrusive complexes associated with porphyry copper deposits | Did not proceed as planned - Rolled into 1.14 Q3 2018 |
| 1.9 | Geological and geochemical vectors to low sulfidation epithermal gold mineralization, Cerro Negro district, Deseado Massif, Argentina | In progress |
| 1.10 | Geochemical and hyperspectral analysis of epidote | Rolled into 2.11 Q3 2018 |
| 1.11 | Geology and genesis of the Prince Darwin prospect, western Tasmania | Completed Q4 2018 |
| 1.12 | Advanced argillic alteration at Glen Lyell and western Tharsis deposits, Mt Lyell district, western Tasmania: Implications for the genesis of Cu-Au mineralisation and district exploration | Completed Q4 2018 |
| 1.13 | The application of spectral analysis and mineral chemistry in exploration; a case study from the Mount Cassidy porphyry prospect, Rockhampton district, Queensland | Completed Q4 2018 |
| 1.14 | Far-field and near-mine footprints: Finding and defining the next generation of Tier 1 ore deposits (AMIRA P1202): Modules 1-3 | In progress |
| 1.15 | Timing relationships within porphyry-epithermal deposits | In progress |
| 1.1a | Tourmaline scanning in Corescan | Completed Q4 2019 |
| 1.16 | Identifying unique Resistate Indicator Mineral (RIM) chemistry as a guide in prospectivity for sediment-hosted copper mineralisation (AMIRA P1206) | In progress |
| 2.1 | General geometallurgy studies | In progress |
| 2.2 | Geotechnical and geometallurgical assessment of the Cadia East deposit using Corescan automatic logging technology | Completed Q1 2018 |
| 2.3 | Ore characterisation and geometallurgical modelling at the Productora Cu-Au-Mo deposit, Chile | Completed 2016 |
| 2.4 | Cadia East multi-element lithogeochemistry: Evaluation of trace element deportment important to processing | Completed 2016 |
| 2.5 | Technology transfer | Ongoing |
| 2.6 | Comparing element deportment: LA-ICPMS vs. sequential extraction (cross theme project) | Did not proceed |
| 2.7 | Geological and geometallurgical characterisation of QPG veins, Mankayan District, Philippines | Rolled into 1.14 mid-2018 |
| 2.8 | Geology and geometallurgical characterisation of the high Au, low Cu material at West Dome, Telfer | Completed Q2 2018 |
| 2.9 | Characterising supergene copper mineralogy using hyperspectral techniques | On hold |
| 2.10 | Quantification of gold-bearing pyrite in processing samples from Lihir gold mine | Completed Q4 2018 |
| 2.11 | Far-field and near-mine footprints: Finding and defining the next generation of Tier 1 ore deposits (AMIRA P1202): Module 4 | In progress |
| 3.1 | Integrated waste classification for best practice AMD prediction | Completed Q4 2019 |
| 3.2 | Development of effective short-term leach tests for water quality predication | Completed Q4 2017 |
| 3.3 | Mineralogical domaining of low grade and no grade zones using automated drill core logging at Cadia | Completed Q2 2020 |
| 3.4 | Metal extraction from mine tailings using bioleaching: Environmental and economic benefits | Completed Q2 2018 |
| 3.5 | Utilising industrial waste materials for AMD control | In progress |
| 3.6 | Geometallurgy of historic mine waste: Evaluating options for reprocessing | In progress |
| 3.7 | Determining bioaccessibility risks at the historic Aberfoyle tailings site, north east Tasmania | Completed Q4 2017 |
| 3.8 | Education and training | Ongoing |
| 3.9 | Mineralogical and geochemical characterisation of historical slag: Evaluating environmental impacts and economic significance | Completed Q2 2018 |
| 3.10 | Optimisation of kinetic testing for improved predication of drainage chemistry from laboratory to field: Savage River Mine, Tasmania | Did not proceed |
| 3.11 | Recovery of ferric pigments from acid and metalliferous drainage | TMVC association completed Q4 2018 |
| 3.12 | Comparing element deportment: LA-ICPMS vc. sequential extraction (Cross theme project) | Did not proceed |
| T1 | Development of the high-throughput laser cell | In progress |
| T2a | Corescan data feature extraction and classification for mineralogical and textural information analysis | In progress |
| T2b | Line scan technologies for drill core | Completed Q1 2018 |
| T2c | Integrating chemical and mineralogical data layers for element deportment | In progress |
| T2d | Geological feature discovery from quantitative data integration (algorithm development) | In progress |
| T3 | Method development for laser ablation ICPMS applied to complex matrices | In progress |