Dr Peter Lilly, Director, syas the Minerals Down Under Flagship is “advancing towards our goals of assisting the Australian minerals industry to exploit new resources with an in-situ value of A$1 trillion by the year 2030 and more than double the associated services and technology sector by 2015. We are tackling the $1 trillion in-situ goal through a range of projects to help transform the exploration industry in the short to medium term, and to bring online lateritic nickel, complex polymetallic and high phosphorus iron ore deposits in the longer term. Risk adjusted projections of just 22 such projects suggest that delivered and potential unlocked in-situ value will exceed A$300 billion.
“In addition, we aim to change the economics of mining and processing and bring new reserves online by reducing cut-off grade. Emergent technologies for improving the productivity of the mining and processing industries are projected to deliver a risk adjusted value exceeding A$4 billion NPV, with about A$500 million NPV already realised since the Flagship’s inception in 2007 through delivered value from projects such as improved agitation and thickener technologies.
“In regard to the services sector, new technologies and innovations from our research are already available in the marketplace, either as demonstrations or through a commercial partner. Some of these technologies include Swirl Flow agitators, new thickener feedwells, moisture analysers and wireless localisation systems. Innovations include advanced technical marketing support and exploration packages that integrate new tools, data analysis modules and predictive simulation expertise.
“Enabling concepts for a radical breakthrough in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and water use in the steel industry are being demonstrated at pilot scale, paving the way for Australia to retain its position as a world leader in the provision of technology services for an eco-efficient industry and a sustainable future. Our in-situ goal and services sector goal are fundamentally intertwined, since it is the services sector that will deliver our innovation to industry.
“I look forward to seeing you at the AusIMM Sustainable Mining Conference in Kalgoorlie 17 to 19 August. This is the first AusIMM conference to focus on operational aspects of meeting sustainable development challenges. CSIRO is a proud sponsor of the technical session and I am pleased to be a keynote speaker. For more information on the conference, visit www.ausimm.com.au.