Olympic Dam in a Test Tube: Critical Experiments and Theory for Understanding Fe-Cu-U-REE in Hydrothermal Fluids and during Fluid-Rock Interaction. Olympic Dam (OD) is a supergiant Cu-U-Au-Ag-REE ore deposit, containing more than a trillion Australian dollars worth of metals, and hosted by hematite-rich breccia in South Australia. Yet, key aspects of the geochemistry of OD-style deposits remain poorly understood. This project will conduct innovative experiments to address the role for fluorine i ....Olympic Dam in a Test Tube: Critical Experiments and Theory for Understanding Fe-Cu-U-REE in Hydrothermal Fluids and during Fluid-Rock Interaction. Olympic Dam (OD) is a supergiant Cu-U-Au-Ag-REE ore deposit, containing more than a trillion Australian dollars worth of metals, and hosted by hematite-rich breccia in South Australia. Yet, key aspects of the geochemistry of OD-style deposits remain poorly understood. This project will conduct innovative experiments to address the role for fluorine in Fe, U and REE transport at OD, and the role of fluid-rock interaction in generating the unusually oxidised Fe-Cu mineral assemblages and in controlling U grades and distribution. The fundamental information gained will underpin intense on-going research aimed at discovering new OD-style orebodies and at creating new ore-processing technology that are environmentally sustainable and able to access lower-grade ores.Read moreRead less
Unravelling how aquatic coastal networks regulate nitrogen removal . The aim of this project is to determine the nitrogen removal pathways of the coastal zone using a number of innovative field and modelling approaches. Little is known about how the complex coastal landscape controls trade-offs that maximise nitrogen removal but minimise nitrous oxide (a potent greenhouse gas) emissions. The outcomes of this study will significantly advance our understanding of the coastal zone in regional and g ....Unravelling how aquatic coastal networks regulate nitrogen removal . The aim of this project is to determine the nitrogen removal pathways of the coastal zone using a number of innovative field and modelling approaches. Little is known about how the complex coastal landscape controls trade-offs that maximise nitrogen removal but minimise nitrous oxide (a potent greenhouse gas) emissions. The outcomes of this study will significantly advance our understanding of the coastal zone in regional and global nitrogen budgets. This will provide significant benefits such as a new science-based quantitative framework to facilitate best practice management to reduce terrestrial nitrogen loads and associated downstream impacts such as eutrophication, and reduce nitrous oxide emissions and associated global warming.
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Hydrothermal remobilisation of base metals and platinum group elements in magmatic nickel deposits. Magmatic nickel sulphide deposits are highly valuable but extremely challenging exploration targets, thought to lack the distinctive geochemical haloes that allow small targets to be identified from sparse drilling. The project will test the potential of hydrothermal remobilisation of nickel, cobalt and platinum group elements to create broad alteration haloes.
Deep and smelly: exploring the roles of pressure and sulphur in hydrothermal metal transport. Hot, salty fluids carry metals in the Earth's crust and are responsible for the formation of Australia's mineral wealth. This project combines exciting new experiments with molecular-level simulations to predict metal transport, providing a sound basis for improving mineral exploration models and sustaining discovery of new deposits.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100040
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$700,000.00
Summary
High performance electron microprobe analyser optimised for the microanalysis of sulphides and heavy elements. Understanding the chemistry of materials at micrometre scale is critical for deciphering the geological history of rocks, measuring the mobility of heavy metals in the environment and optimising the liberation of metals from ores. This new electron microprobe facility will provide more accurate results than was possible with previous instruments while increasing throughput.
Reverse engineering nature: metal extraction through mineral replacement. This project aims to find new methods of copper recovery from low grade copper ores, which are currently uneconomic to mine. In nature, at the top of ore deposits and just below the water-table, is a region known as the supergene zone. Here mild oxidizing reactions take place causing primary ore minerals such as chalcopyrite to be replaced by more copper-rich, less refractory minerals. These processes are driven by disso ....Reverse engineering nature: metal extraction through mineral replacement. This project aims to find new methods of copper recovery from low grade copper ores, which are currently uneconomic to mine. In nature, at the top of ore deposits and just below the water-table, is a region known as the supergene zone. Here mild oxidizing reactions take place causing primary ore minerals such as chalcopyrite to be replaced by more copper-rich, less refractory minerals. These processes are driven by dissolution re-precipitation reactions (CDR reactions) and in many CDR reactions, the reaction mechanism, rather than intensive properties such as pressure and temperature, control the nature of the products and the overall reaction process. This project will explore the mechanism and controls on these reactions to see if they can be utilized in the mining industry to economically extract copper from low grade ores.
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Nature's mechanisms for leaching and remobilising metals. This project aims to understand the chemical and physical processes that govern reactive transport and metal scavenging in rocky environments. Much of Australia's mineral wealth is the result of the interaction of warm fluids with rocks deep in the Earth over geological timescales. The formation of ore deposits is governed by the physical chemistry of mineral dissolution and crystallisation, and by fluid flow through porous rocks and frac ....Nature's mechanisms for leaching and remobilising metals. This project aims to understand the chemical and physical processes that govern reactive transport and metal scavenging in rocky environments. Much of Australia's mineral wealth is the result of the interaction of warm fluids with rocks deep in the Earth over geological timescales. The formation of ore deposits is governed by the physical chemistry of mineral dissolution and crystallisation, and by fluid flow through porous rocks and fractures. This project integrates innovation in geology, chemistry, and mineral engineering, and will deliver mineral-scale reaction models that will increase efficiency of in-situ mining and leaching technologies. Knowledge generated can be applied to improve mineral exploration, mining, and processing, contributing to unlocking billions of dollars’ worth of resources tied up in low grade, mineralogically complex ores.Read moreRead less
Impact of melt loss on crustal heat production and Earth geodynamics. This project plans to develop a thermodynamic tool set to calculate the amounts of rare earth elements, thorium and uranium in monazite and link its growth and radiogenic heat budget to rock evolution. Thorium (Th) and uranium (U) produce 83 per cent of the heat in Earth’s continental crust. Vast tracts of high-heat-producing rock from hot, deep parts of the crust defy the notion that such crust is depleted in Th and U. The ca ....Impact of melt loss on crustal heat production and Earth geodynamics. This project plans to develop a thermodynamic tool set to calculate the amounts of rare earth elements, thorium and uranium in monazite and link its growth and radiogenic heat budget to rock evolution. Thorium (Th) and uranium (U) produce 83 per cent of the heat in Earth’s continental crust. Vast tracts of high-heat-producing rock from hot, deep parts of the crust defy the notion that such crust is depleted in Th and U. The causes of high heat production in the deep crust remain unclear. This project will develop a tool set to calculate the Th and U concentration in minerals (eg monazite, zircon) and silicate melt as a function of depth, temperature and rock composition. This tool set would be of great benefit to the geoscience community for better understanding fundamental geodynamic processes.Read moreRead less
Fluid-induced creation and decay of porosity and permeability in minerals. This project aims to investigate the role of hydrothermal fluids in the creation and decay of porosity and permeability in minerals. By developing new experimental techniques and undertaking experimental studies mimicking natural conditions, this project expects to generate knowledge of the fundamental relationships between fluid-mineral reactions, pore creation and decay, pore geometry and connectivity, and the mechanism ....Fluid-induced creation and decay of porosity and permeability in minerals. This project aims to investigate the role of hydrothermal fluids in the creation and decay of porosity and permeability in minerals. By developing new experimental techniques and undertaking experimental studies mimicking natural conditions, this project expects to generate knowledge of the fundamental relationships between fluid-mineral reactions, pore creation and decay, pore geometry and connectivity, and the mechanism for the formation of fluid inclusions. This should provide significant benefits such as a deeper understanding of the hydrothermal fluids flowing through tight rocks in the Earth’s crust to form orebodies, and provide a scientific basis to underpin the development of greener technologies for recovering natural resources.Read moreRead less
Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation in different substrates. Carbonates in the form of limestone represent an important reservoir of carbon on earth. They are recorded in several natural geological formations as corals, stromatolites, beach rocks. Microbes play an important role in the formation as well as dissolution of carbonates during microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) reactions on different substrates in natural and built environments. Much of our kno ....Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation in different substrates. Carbonates in the form of limestone represent an important reservoir of carbon on earth. They are recorded in several natural geological formations as corals, stromatolites, beach rocks. Microbes play an important role in the formation as well as dissolution of carbonates during microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) reactions on different substrates in natural and built environments. Much of our knowledge on MICP is limited due to poor understanding of the reaction kinetics at a molecular level. This project will develop new methods to enable and advance the knowledge of MICP process with profound implications for understanding natural geological formations as well as widen the scope of current engineering applications.Read moreRead less