Extracting Copper and other Critical Metals from Baal Gammon and Rishton Mine Waste
Theme: Earth science and resources
Description:
Copper is essential for modern technologies, from data centres to renewable energy. Mine waste offers potential as a secondary resource for the energy transition, but its complex properties pose a major challenge for effective metal extraction. The MIWATCH team has identified promising secondary mine waste copper resources, along with zinc, tin, gold, and manganese, in Northern Queensland. Early tests on coarse waste particles (ranging from 0.3 to 1.0 mm) from the Baal Gammon and Rishton mines demonstrated copper recovery rates of 40–70%, along with satisfactory yields of other metals, using chemical leaching. We have found that pre-concentrating the waste can greatly enhance extraction, as 80% of the material is highly associated sulphides like pyrite, pyrrhotite, and chalcopyrite which has complex textures with aluminosilicate and clay gangue minerals. By applying flotation and gravity concentration, we can reduce gangue concentration and improve overall metal recovery.
What You’ll Do:
• Optimize extraction processes by experimenting with a combination of flotation, gravity concentration, and leaching to identify the most effective method for recovering metals from complex mine waste samples.
• Investigate the interactions between valuable minerals and gangue (unwanted minerals) across both mineral processing and hydrometallurgical systems to enhance overall recovery efficiency.
This is a golden chance for students passionate about sustainable mining to make a real impact. Want to help shape the future of critical metals? Come join us!
Additional Information:
Project duration and delivery: one academic year. The applicant will need to be on-site at the Indooroopilly Mine Site and UQ Long Pocket campus for the duration of the project.
What you’ll gain and create: This is your shot to explore mineral processing, hydrometallurgy and unlock the secrets of extracting metals from mine waste. You’ll gain hands-on experience designing and running flotation, gravity concentration and leaching experiments, examining ores and tailings, and digging into data analysis. Plus, you could co-author research papers and share your discoveries through a written report or oral presentation. Join us to build skills, make an impact, and shine in the world of sustainable mining!
Suitable for: Suitable for final year UQ students currently enrolled in engineering or science programs who are passionate about mineral processing, chemistry, hydrometallurgy, waste valorization, and research.
Supervisors: Dr Eric O. Ansah, Dr Bellson Awatey and Dr Steve Chingwaru and A/Prof Anita Parbhakar-Fox
Contact: Prof Gordon Southam and Dr Eric O Ansah