Legal and social dynamics of eBook lending in Australia’s public libraries. Legal and social dynamics of eBook lending in Australia’s public libraries. This project aims to develop an evidence base of quantitative and qualitative data about how eBooks are used in libraries. EBooks have tremendous beneficial potential, particularly for Australians in remote areas and those with impaired mobility or vision. However, libraries’ rights to acquire and lend them are more restricted than for physical b ....Legal and social dynamics of eBook lending in Australia’s public libraries. Legal and social dynamics of eBook lending in Australia’s public libraries. This project aims to develop an evidence base of quantitative and qualitative data about how eBooks are used in libraries. EBooks have tremendous beneficial potential, particularly for Australians in remote areas and those with impaired mobility or vision. However, libraries’ rights to acquire and lend them are more restricted than for physical books. Libraries and legal, social and data science researchers will investigate eBook lending practices and understand their social impacts. The project will identify ways of reforming policy, law, and practice to help libraries fulfil their public interest missions. This project is expected to enable libraries to extract more value from existing public investments.Read moreRead less
Sewer Monitoring and Management in the Digital Era. Overflow, flooding, corrosion, and odorous emissions are persistent issues for utilities managing sewers. Current sewer maintenance is reactive, and focuses on solving problems in local networks, despite that optimal solutions require a system-wide approach. Capitalising on recent development in IoT sensors, wireless transmission, and machine learning, this multidisciplinary project aims to develop digital-twin supported data analytics for proa ....Sewer Monitoring and Management in the Digital Era. Overflow, flooding, corrosion, and odorous emissions are persistent issues for utilities managing sewers. Current sewer maintenance is reactive, and focuses on solving problems in local networks, despite that optimal solutions require a system-wide approach. Capitalising on recent development in IoT sensors, wireless transmission, and machine learning, this multidisciplinary project aims to develop digital-twin supported data analytics for proactive sewer management including network-wide real-time control. The project aims to generate significant social, environmental and economic benefits by enabling utilities to better protect public and environmental health, reduce sewer odour and greenhouse gas emissions, and extend sewer asset life.Read moreRead less
A Machine Learning driven flow modelling of fragmented rocks in cave mining. The project aims to develop an integrated method that uses micro scale and macro scale information to predict block scale behaviour so that a better cave mining design can be established. The role of various mineral composition on the energy storage and fracture properties of rocks will be investigated to examine rock fragmentation for block cave mining. Later Machine Learning based models will be developed to establis ....A Machine Learning driven flow modelling of fragmented rocks in cave mining. The project aims to develop an integrated method that uses micro scale and macro scale information to predict block scale behaviour so that a better cave mining design can be established. The role of various mineral composition on the energy storage and fracture properties of rocks will be investigated to examine rock fragmentation for block cave mining. Later Machine Learning based models will be developed to establish various predictive models for Block Scale rock mass behaviour and caveability of ore deposit. Finally, we will develop a new constitutive model based on a dual damage concept that will capture the rock fragmentation and simulate the cave propagation in a large scale mine layout using Smoothed-particle hydrodynamics.Read moreRead less
Multi-phase modelling and characterisation of mudrush hazard in cave mining. A mudrush is a sudden, uncontrolled flow of wet fine particles (mud) into an underground mine that damages equipment, infrastructure, and can even cause fatalities. This project aims to develop cost-effective management and monitoring of mudrush hazards within the at-risk Carrapateena cave mine operated by OZ Minerals. Building on recent technological and numerical advances, a novel experimental–theoretical–numerical ap ....Multi-phase modelling and characterisation of mudrush hazard in cave mining. A mudrush is a sudden, uncontrolled flow of wet fine particles (mud) into an underground mine that damages equipment, infrastructure, and can even cause fatalities. This project aims to develop cost-effective management and monitoring of mudrush hazards within the at-risk Carrapateena cave mine operated by OZ Minerals. Building on recent technological and numerical advances, a novel experimental–theoretical–numerical approach will be used to simulate mudrush risk based on moisture content, particle sizes, compaction, geological conditions, and seismic energy. Outputs will include a practical framework to boost the safety, productivity, and profitability of caving operations to benefit miners and the broader resources industry.Read moreRead less
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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Controlling arsenic to unlock value in gold and copper resources. This project aims to characterise the transformation of arsenic between oxidation states during mineral processing. Up to one third of the world’s gold reserves are locked up in arsenic rich minerals and 5000 tonnes of arsenic is released annually from mine waste. The project will enable the development of process technology that immobilises and removes arsenic at the earliest possible stage. The use of novel time-resolved in-situ ....Controlling arsenic to unlock value in gold and copper resources. This project aims to characterise the transformation of arsenic between oxidation states during mineral processing. Up to one third of the world’s gold reserves are locked up in arsenic rich minerals and 5000 tonnes of arsenic is released annually from mine waste. The project will enable the development of process technology that immobilises and removes arsenic at the earliest possible stage. The use of novel time-resolved in-situ techniques proposed in this research will give vital information of the complex chemical pathways involved during processing which current characterization methods on pre- and post-processed species do not achieve.Read moreRead less
Critical metals from complex copper ores. The aims of this project address the critical mineral resource potential of complex copper ores. The research will generate new knowledge on the concentration, distribution, physical form and chemical speciation of critical minerals, including tellurium, cobalt and rare earth elements, in ores and processing streams using innovative approaches and utilising state-of-the-art analytical techniques. Expected outcomes include integrated models for critical e ....Critical metals from complex copper ores. The aims of this project address the critical mineral resource potential of complex copper ores. The research will generate new knowledge on the concentration, distribution, physical form and chemical speciation of critical minerals, including tellurium, cobalt and rare earth elements, in ores and processing streams using innovative approaches and utilising state-of-the-art analytical techniques. Expected outcomes include integrated models for critical element endowments in Australia's largest copper resource, Olympic Dam (S.A.). Future recovery of these elements would add significant value to existing operations, providing long-term economic and commercial benefits and would also contribute to Australia's transition to a low-carbon future.Read moreRead less
Groundwater flow age distributions: Understanding open pit mine hydrology. This project aims to improve the estimation of the age of groundwater. Understanding groundwater age is critical for sustainable management and environmental tracers are increasingly used for this purpose. However, groundwater samples are inevitably mixtures of water of different ages. Since for most tracers the relationship between tracer concentration and age is not linear, different tracers can produce different mean a ....Groundwater flow age distributions: Understanding open pit mine hydrology. This project aims to improve the estimation of the age of groundwater. Understanding groundwater age is critical for sustainable management and environmental tracers are increasingly used for this purpose. However, groundwater samples are inevitably mixtures of water of different ages. Since for most tracers the relationship between tracer concentration and age is not linear, different tracers can produce different mean ages for the sample. This project aims to determine whether it is possible to determine moments of the groundwater age distributions from measurements made with different environmental tracers. The project also aims to examine whether the degree of heterogeneity within the aquifer can be determined from the disparity between ages obtained with different tracers. This project aims to tackle the largest problem with using groundwater chemistry to estimate water age – that mixing processes in the subsurface are never known. Solving this problem will allow much more accurate estimates of groundwater velocity and aquifer recharge rates. The groundwater industry contributes an estimated $6.8 billion per annum to the Australian economy, and this project will contribute to the sustainable management of the groundwater resource.Read moreRead less
Mechanisms for Pyrite Oxidation Control in Acid Mine Drainage. The annual costs of acid rock drainage (ARD) management at operating sites in Australia are $120M p.a.; over 15 years, a total cost of $1.8 billion for the whole industry. There are limitations to the ability of existing systems to cope with high capacity ARD, to the long-term effectiveness of these systems and high potential costs/liability of remediation. The value of the project outcomes to industry and government will be in reduc ....Mechanisms for Pyrite Oxidation Control in Acid Mine Drainage. The annual costs of acid rock drainage (ARD) management at operating sites in Australia are $120M p.a.; over 15 years, a total cost of $1.8 billion for the whole industry. There are limitations to the ability of existing systems to cope with high capacity ARD, to the long-term effectiveness of these systems and high potential costs/liability of remediation. The value of the project outcomes to industry and government will be in reduction of ARD release, well-understood long-term outcomes, reduced cost of treatments and improved control. The scale of these savings is in the tens of $M p.a. but also in potential improvements in environment (acid and toxic metals in streams), health and social quality of life in mining areas and towns.Read moreRead less
Effect of faults and barriers on groundwater flow and solute transport. This project will address the role of faults and dykes on groundwater flow and solute transport. Faults and dykes can act as barriers to groundwater flow, yet faults can also be conduits for flow through otherwise impermeable layers. Understanding their role is critical to assessing the impacts of mining, unconventional gas and water resource developments. This project expects to develop new methods to quantify groundwater f ....Effect of faults and barriers on groundwater flow and solute transport. This project will address the role of faults and dykes on groundwater flow and solute transport. Faults and dykes can act as barriers to groundwater flow, yet faults can also be conduits for flow through otherwise impermeable layers. Understanding their role is critical to assessing the impacts of mining, unconventional gas and water resource developments. This project expects to develop new methods to quantify groundwater flow through and along faults and dykes by combining geological, hydraulic and geochemical approaches with detailed 3D numerical models. The expected outcome will be an improved understanding of the role of faults and barriers in subsurface hydrology, and an improved ability to model complex groundwater systems.Read moreRead less