Controlling precipitation processes in the production of value-added zirconia. Doral Specialty Chemicals produces specialised zirconia products from zircon sands mined in WA. Doping the zirconia with metals such as yttrium and aluminium can produce advanced ceramics, with applications in areas such as solid oxide fuel cells and oxygen sensors. The aim of this project is to improve the fundamental understanding of the chemistry in the initial processing steps, so that the process can be readily m ....Controlling precipitation processes in the production of value-added zirconia. Doral Specialty Chemicals produces specialised zirconia products from zircon sands mined in WA. Doping the zirconia with metals such as yttrium and aluminium can produce advanced ceramics, with applications in areas such as solid oxide fuel cells and oxygen sensors. The aim of this project is to improve the fundamental understanding of the chemistry in the initial processing steps, so that the process can be readily modified to produce new doped zirconia ceramics, without the extensive empirical process development currently required. The resulting ability to quickly produce new compositions on a commercial scale will put this industry in a world-leading position, dramatically increasing the added value of the zirconia products.Read moreRead less
Realising Australia’s rare earth resource potential. This project aims to reveal the potential for undiscovered economic deposits of rare earth elements within the Australian continent. Future supply of these elements underpins societies transition to clean energy and embrace of high-tech applications. The project expects to greatly enhance our knowledge of Australia’s endowment of rare earth element resources using an array of traditional and innovative geological research methods. Expected out ....Realising Australia’s rare earth resource potential. This project aims to reveal the potential for undiscovered economic deposits of rare earth elements within the Australian continent. Future supply of these elements underpins societies transition to clean energy and embrace of high-tech applications. The project expects to greatly enhance our knowledge of Australia’s endowment of rare earth element resources using an array of traditional and innovative geological research methods. Expected outcomes of this project include a greater understanding of how, where and when rare earth element orebodies form in the Earth's crust. This should provide significant benefits to exploring for––and discovering––new orebodies that are required to secure global critical metal supplies. Read moreRead less
Structural studies of titanyl and zirconyl sulfate hydrates. This project aims to provide knowledge that will inform the development of new methods of extraction and refining of titanium from ilmenite ores. In addition the knowledge gained in this research will aid the design and synthesis advanced ceramics and nanocomposites, and will provide the fundamental understanding of material structures that are required to adequately control the formation of such materials.
The Rare Earth Potential of the Gascoyne Region of Western Australia. The Gascoyne Region of Western Australia is an emerging Neodymium-rich rare earth district in its early stages of development. The mineral occurrences of the region are complex and their geological distribution and source(s) remain unclear. With the support of all the active explorers in the region, a better understanding of the entire mineral system is sought to maximise exploration efficiency. This project aims to undertake ....The Rare Earth Potential of the Gascoyne Region of Western Australia. The Gascoyne Region of Western Australia is an emerging Neodymium-rich rare earth district in its early stages of development. The mineral occurrences of the region are complex and their geological distribution and source(s) remain unclear. With the support of all the active explorers in the region, a better understanding of the entire mineral system is sought to maximise exploration efficiency. This project aims to undertake a full assessment of the minerals, their processing and the environmental impact of production to determine the potential of the region. The expected outcome of the project is to develop a world-class rare earth mineral district in Australia, to ensure future supplies of these strategically important metals. Read moreRead less
Rare Earth Metal Separation by Polymer Inclusion Membranes. The project aims to develop a novel hydrometallurgical method for the separation of the rare earth metals dysprosium and terbium from mixed rare earth metal solutions using polymer inclusion membranes with a crosslinked or non-crosslinked polymer backbone. These metals are crucial for the manufacturing of advanced technology products. The membrane-based method is expected to offer significant advantages over the currently used solvent e ....Rare Earth Metal Separation by Polymer Inclusion Membranes. The project aims to develop a novel hydrometallurgical method for the separation of the rare earth metals dysprosium and terbium from mixed rare earth metal solutions using polymer inclusion membranes with a crosslinked or non-crosslinked polymer backbone. These metals are crucial for the manufacturing of advanced technology products. The membrane-based method is expected to offer significant advantages over the currently used solvent extraction methods by eliminating the use of solvents and conducting the separation as a continuous process where the extraction and back-extraction steps take place simultaneously. These advantages are expected to make the separation process more cost-effective and drastically reduce its environmental impact.Read moreRead less
Template-free Control of Titania Precipitation from Homogeneous Aqueous Solution. Used in the paint, plastic, ceramic, paper and synthetic fibre industries and having strategic nano-technological applications, titania is an important commodity for Australia, earning about $1.3 billion p.a. in exports. Better production methods through improved understanding of titania precipitation chemistry will help to increase our industrial productivity and minimise energy consumption. It may also lead to us ....Template-free Control of Titania Precipitation from Homogeneous Aqueous Solution. Used in the paint, plastic, ceramic, paper and synthetic fibre industries and having strategic nano-technological applications, titania is an important commodity for Australia, earning about $1.3 billion p.a. in exports. Better production methods through improved understanding of titania precipitation chemistry will help to increase our industrial productivity and minimise energy consumption. It may also lead to useful new processes and/or materials with catalytic properties. In an increasingly competitive global market, this is most relevant to Australian titania exporters and to Australian renewable energy programs (particularly for generating photovoltaic power). Read moreRead less