Newcastle, partner in global minerals research program

Wednesday, 9 November 2005

The University of Newcastle will be part of a global research program to find radical new ways of extracting minerals from the earth.

The research program, the Australian Mineral Science Research Institute (AMSRI), was announced today by the Federal Minister for Education, Science and Training, Dr Brendan Nelson at the Australian Research Council (ARC) funding announcement. In total $8.4 million, over five years, was awarded to this collaborative project by the Australian Research Council.

In one of the biggest developments in the mining and minerals industry since Australia discovered the flotation process more than 100 years ago, the program will explore highly experimental new science to develop more efficient and low-impact ways of mining minerals such as zinc, copper, coal, platinum and titanium.

The research program will bring together world-class teams across Australia to focus on the science of the interactions between particles, bubbles and fluids.

The research program, believed to be the biggest of its kind in the world, involves:

• industry giants BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Anglo Platinum, Phelps Dodge, Orica and Xstrata
• the Universities of Newcastle, Queensland, South Australia and Melbourne
• a global network of 24 collaborating organisations, and
• a team of top Australian and international scientists in physics, chemistry, engineering, bioscience and earth sciences.

The new Linkage Grant will support a series of fundamental research programs aimed at reducing the long-term use of water and energy in the minerals industry.

"Water is becoming a precious commodity, and the minerals industry is faced with increasing challenges to do more with less", says Laureate Professor Graeme Jameson, who will lead the group working on Innovative Processes at the University of Newcastle.

"We'll be investigating new ideas for dry processing, that will eliminate the need for water altogether."

"We'll also be looking at ways to improve the flotation process that is still the workhorse of the industry."

"One of our first tasks will be to build up a strong team of researchers. There are many opportunities for high-level technical staff in the resources industries, and we expect our PhD graduates will readily find good positions."

For interviews on the Australian Mineral Science Research Institute contact Laureate Professor Graeme Jameson on (02) 4921 6181. An image of Laureate Professor Graeme Jameson is available from Rowena Scanlan on (02) 4921 5610.