Researchers at the University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) have won two major awards at the university’s 2022 Research and Translation Awards.
SMI received the Research Impact Award for its Development Minerals Program led by Professor Daniel Franks, which underpinned a recent United Nations Environment Assembly resolution on ‘Environmental aspects of minerals and metals management’.
Professor Franks said the team were invited to convene global consultations under the mandate of a United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) resolution to strengthen international cooperation on mineral governance.
“Minerals are essential for global development and to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” he said.
“However, in contrast to other natural resources, they are not explicitly referenced within the constituent goals and targets of the SDGs.
“We were engaged to collect information on sustainable practices, identify knowledge gaps and options for implementation strategies, and undertake an overview of existing assessments of different governance initiatives and approaches relating to sustainable management of metal and mineral resources.”
Researchers from SMI’s Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre were also recognised at the event, receiving an Innovative Partnership Award for their Collaborative Consortium for Coarse Particle Processing Research (CPR).
The CPR tackles multidisciplinary aspects of coarse particle processing such as flotation, comminution, classification, and equipment design and process chemistry. Consortium members include representatives from Rio Tinto, Glencore, Anglo American, Hudbay Minerals, Newcrest Mining, Aeris Resources, Baker Hughes, Eriez Flotation and Newmont Corporation.
CPR Technical Director Associate Professor, Liza Forbes, said successfully building an international, multi-commodity platform to advance research is a significant achievement.
“The first step in any mining operation is a highly energy-intensive process of grinding large rocks into tiny particles called ‘comminution’, which is followed by a separation process called ‘flotation’,” Dr Forbes said.
“The Consortium aims to improve the industry’s understanding and implementation of flotation so operations can run coarser, or larger, rocks through their circuits and therefore use less energy in the first step.
“Just making that change, reducing the size the rocks need to be crushed to, could decrease the amount of energy used by between 30 per cent – 50 per cent.
“SMI facilitates joint discussion between companies that are otherwise fierce competitors, by providing a ‘safe’ space to do so, with appropriate confidentiality protections.”
SMI’s Acting Director Professor Rick Valenta said he was delighted SMI’s research excellence had been recognised by the University.
“SMI is a community of experts; we collaborate and partner across the University and with stakeholders to ensure we are bringing the best minds to find solutions to key challenges, these awards are an important acknowledgement of the excellent work underway at the Institute.”
Feature Image: (From left) Prof Neville Plint, Assoc Prof Kym Runge, Virginia Lawson, Assoc Prof Liza Forbes, Prof Rick Valenta, prof Daniel Franks, Julia Keenan, Charlie Sartain. Photo: University of Queensland.
