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High temperature processing

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +1100

High temperature processing is used to produce metals and advanced materials, and is also used to treat industrial by-products.

Hydrometallurgy alumina

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +1100

CSIRO works closely with its research partners and industry to ensure Australia's alumina industry remains competitive.

In situ studies: science under extreme conditions

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +1100

The aim of in situ studies is to reproduce the conditions that are present in systems found across a wide range of environments.

Ionic liquids for metal production

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +1100

Ionic liquids are salts that exist in the liquid form at, or near, room temperature.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for mining

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +1100

Analysing light emissions from the plasma generated by laser pulses can provide insight into the elemental make up of a range of different materials.

Metals and ceramics design and processing

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +1100

CSIRO researchers are developing novel materials and cost-effective production processes to meet the needs of industry.

Investigative work at the nano-scale: removing phosphorus from iron ore

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +1100

Electron microscopy may help solve the iron ore industry's phosphorus problem. If successful, the work could be worth billions of dollars to the Australian industry.

Process engineering

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +1100

A range of in-field experience, workshop and electronics expertise, combined with our facilities, enables our process engineering team to design new chemical engineering processes and optimise existing processes and equipment.

Working at CSIRO Process Science and Engineering

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +1100

In this video people working for CSIRO explain how they apply their expertise to a diverse range of problems across a number of areas. (2:20)

Using x-ray diffraction to solve minerals processing problems

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +1100

CSIRO Process Science and Engineering is using in-situ and on-line x-ray diffraction analysis to examine various aspects of minerals processing.

Materials characterisation for the minerals and related process industries

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +1100

Our research is complemented by a sophisticated suite of material characterisation techniques and tools.

Online analysis and control

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +1100

CSIRO Process Science and Engineering works closely with industry to develop online tools and techniques that provide improved measurement and control of processes.

Precious and base metals hydrometallurgy

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +1100

CSIRO is working closely with research partners and the Australian minerals industry to maximise the returns from mineral resources derived using hydrometallurgical processes while reducing the environmental impact of these processes.

RAM™ electrodes - making more from less

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +1100

CSIRO has developed a method for manufacturing arrays of microelectrodes, called RAM™ electrodes, which generate a signal that is between 500 and 1000 times larger than single microelectrodes.

Mineral processing and agglomeration

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +1100

CSIRO's research in mineral processing and agglomeration is helping operators improve their profitability and environmental performance.

LCA shows full picture on energy use

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +1000

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is helping the minerals industry obtain a true picture of the energy use and greenhouse gas emissions of different processes and identifying opportunities for improving performance.

Research to boost nickel production

Tue, 26 May 2009 00:00:00 +1000

Researchers continue work to understand and improve the process used to extract nickel from low grade nickel laterite ore.

Bigger not always better in gold adsorption

Tue, 26 May 2009 00:00:00 +1000

Researchers using computer microtomography have overturned a long-held theory about the role of carbon’s macro pores in gold adsorption - a discovery that has the potential to improve this important step in gold production.

New tool leads to efficiency improvements

Mon, 25 May 2009 00:00:00 +1000

Researchers have developed a process that may improve the understanding of different variables in a Bayer precipitation circuit.

Mathematics helps optimise crystallisation process

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +1100

Collaboration between CSIRO’s Light Metals Flagship (through the Parker Centre) and Curtin University of Technology is helping to optimise the crystallisation process used to refine bauxite to alumina.

INEL x-ray diffractometer: a unique instrument

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +1000

The INEL x-ray diffractometer can be used for continuous diffraction and data collection from non-standard samples.

Sound approach to assessing strength

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +1000

Ultrasound techniques have the potential to provide convenient strength evaluation of a wide range of pelletised, powdered, granulated and crystallised products.

Flamemag developed to meet economic goal

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +1100

CSIRO researchers have developed an economically-viable process to incorporate flame-retardant magnesium hydroxide into plastic.

Scientists search for a small solution

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +1100

CSIRO researchers are working to turn a material so small it could blow away in a sneeze into a bulk commodity suitable for use in the resource processing industries.

Step-by-step approach unblocks operations' heart

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +1100

Researchers investigating techniques for removing carbon fouling from gas outlet tubes discovered that the water-lancing technique being used ‘was a bit like squirting a garden hose into a tornado’.

Raking in the benefits

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +1100

Scientists look at how factors such as the size, shape and spacing of rake blades can be modified to improve the performance of gravity thickeners.

Salty waste a potentially sweet deal

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +1100

Using desalination plants’ hyper-saline discharge in solar salt fields could increase production and halve the space required by conventional salt fields, research that uses technoeconomics is finding.

Synchrotron science invaluable for mineral processing

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +1100

The recently opened powder diffraction beamline at the Australian Synchrotron may prove to be an invaluable resource for improving nickel processing.

Characterisation provides clues to Eucla Basin resource

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +1100

Characterisation of heavy mineral sands deposits in the South Australian portion of the Eucla Basin shows that the region has the potential to be Australia’s next big mineral sands resource.

Detective work solves zinc smelter's puzzling problem

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 00:00:00 +1100

A multi-strand approach helped researchers understand why the chemistry of the lead in the roaster dome of a zinc smelter had changed.

A new jet aeration nozzle

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +1100

A CSIRO-designed gas liquid nozzle that lets liquid absorb gas more easily promises big savings to processing industries. (0:57)

Mapping the mineralogy of meteorites

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +1100

Our researchers are using a more efficient technology to analyse meteorite samples.

Social values and sustainable development in the minerals industry

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +1100

The social dimensions of the minerals industry in Australia, and the ethical and social implications of emerging technologies, are two of the areas being investigated by the Social Values & Sustainable Development group.

New flowsheet brings battery recycling a step closer

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +1100

A process flowsheet has been developed for recovering cobalt and lithium from spent battery leach solution.

Retrofit lifts slurry tank performance

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +1100

A team of CSIRO researchers using a scaled-down model of an alumina slurry mixing tank have succeeded in improving tank productivity.

Carbon management in gold production

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +1100

Research focused on carbon management and the impact of impurities on adsorption circuits can potentially help the gold industry improve efficiency and reduce gold solution losses.

In-depth insight to improve mill design

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +1100

A novel program used to model rocks in crushing and grinding mills is helping to improve the energy efficiency and processing capabilities of mills, and at the same time is accelerating new machine design.

Turning up the heat on energy savings

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +1100

CSIRO's Neutron Inelastic-scattering and Thermal-scattering Analysis (NITA) on-line analysis technique addresses environmental concerns and generates positive outcomes for industry.

Identifying and recovering heat energy

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 00:00:00 +1100

A review by the Energy Transformed Flagship recommends identifying waste-heat hot-spots with the potential for electricity generation.

Stainless steel's load lightened

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +1000

Stainless steel’s environmental credentials could be further enhanced by using the bath smelting process to produce its ferronickel and ferrochromium feed stocks.

Meeting of models helps reduce toxic waste

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +1000

An unfortunate twist of chemistry means that one of the earth’s most beautiful metals requires one of the planet’s most deadly compounds to extract it from an ore body - gold mining relies on the use of cyanide to dissolve gold into solution so it can be recaptured as pure metal.

Slots pay out for aluminium production

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +1000

A mixture of computational and physical modelling techniques is helping the aluminium industry conserve energy by improving slotted anode designs, making aluminium reduction cells more efficient. Article taken from Process October 2007.

Insight brings benefits

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +1000

It might be physically impossible to peer inside an industrial mixer-settler and see what is going on – and costly to tinker with an operating solvent extraction (SX) plant to enhance its capabilities – but CSIRO Minerals has developed tools that effectively allow operators to do both.

Mineral sands processing

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 00:00:00 +1000

Australia is a leading producer of ilmenite, rutile and zircon. CSIRO works closely with our customers to identify processing problems and improve production processes.

HyperProbe

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +1000

The HyperProbe field-emission gun electron probe microanalyser provides unprecedented capacity to characterise the chemical composition of micro-volumes using multiple spectroscopic techniques.

Luminescence spectroscopy

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +1000

A recently developed luminescence database provides a useful tool for analysing luminescence within minerals and compounds.

X-ray spectroscopy and quantum mechanical modelling

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +1000

Quantum mechanical modelling can be used in conjunction with x-ray spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy to develop a better understanding of materials at the atomic level.

Sample preparation for microcharacterisation

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +1000

The sample preparation facilities at CSIRO provide a comprehensive range of services for the preparation of samples for microcharacterisation.

TelePresence microscopy

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +1000

The TelePresence system, developed by scientists from CSIRO Process Science and Engineering, provides clients with remote access to expert staff and equipment.

Elemental microanalysis

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 00:00:00 +1000

Electron probe microanalysis is a non-destructive technique that is used to analyse specimen surfaces for elemental concentration and speciation.