Minerals Archives - CSIROscope

Minerals

Phosphates to feed the world

We invented a new smelting process to produce phosphates for fertiliser. Called PyroPhos, it eliminates harmful waste found in other phosphate production processes and creates a valuable by-product which can be used in construction.

Nature’s cleaners: the little helpers treating mine water

Capturing a mining site’s tiny, yet complex microbial community, and putting it to work to ‘clean itself up’, could bring a revolution in water remediation efforts.

Minerals

X-rays of rocks show their super-fluid past, and reveal mineral deposits vital for batteries

New X-ray technologies reveal some of the incredible processes that took place in Earth’s geological history – and should help us identify new high value ores.

Minerals

How a mob of stray cattle started a gold rush in the Pilbara

An accidental prospector has sparked a gold rush after making an extraordinary gold discovery while mustering cattle in a helicopter.

Supercharging battery metals

With global demand for battery technology set to soar, Australia is well placed to deliver the raw materials and take advantage of a battery metal bonanza.

Local communities need more reassurance about the legacy left by coal seam gas wells

One of the key questions any industry must consider is: what is left behind when it is finished. For coal seam gas, this question is crucial.

Cyanide-free gold… I’ll have a bar of that.

We’ve poured the country’s first cyanide-free gold using our clever process in an effort to put an end to the use of toxic chemicals to extract the yellow metal.

Minerals

Gems for reducing plant wear and tear

Solutions like our ‘tornado in a tank’ are extending the life of plant equipment to save industry millions of dollars, while cutting energy and water use.

Minerals

Could clues from the landscape reveal the next big gold discovery?

We’re working with Classic Minerals Limited to see if tree size is associated with areas of deep gold deposits in their Forrestania tenement in Western Australia.

Minerals

MRI to sort out copper mining waste

Copper miners can slash their energy and water use thanks to a breakthrough ore sorting analyser that uses similar technology to MRI.

X-ray marks the spot

The first installation of a revolutionary x-ray analysis system for gold is now open for business at Ausdrill’s MinAnalytical labs in Perth, Australia.

Minerals

What mining means to Australians: a national survey

A new national survey of 8,020 citizens reveals what mining means to Australians. While most Australians accept mining and think it makes an important contribution to our economy, they hold low levels of trust in in the industry and don’t feel they have a voice in shaping the industry’s practices.

Minerals