Industry perspective: Cultivating good ideas
Sydney-based company Direct Nickel is set to unlock millions of tonnes of untapped nickel laterite reserves with a new extraction process, but it hasn’t worked alone. Direct Nickel managing director and CEO Russell Debney explains the benefits and importance of strategic collaboration.
Exploration: A glass earth
Unprecedented collaboration has brought together government, research institutes, universities and industry in a bold initiative to look through the regolith and uncover the next generation of Australia’s mineral wealth. Tony Heselev reports
Feature: Nitric Nickel
A new environmentally friendly processing method that uses and recycles nitric acid could unlock 70 per cent of the world’s nickel. Tim Treadgold reports
Mineral to Metal: Nickel (Ni)
Nickel is a versatile metal that is strong and alloys readily. These traits, combined with its resistance to heat and corrosion, mean that it is a perfect ingredient for making stainless steel. About 65 per cent of the world’s nickel is used in stainless steel production
Metal production
Our researchers are investigating how to make the metal production industry more sustainable
Mineral to metal: Gold (Au)
A soft and malleable metal, gold is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity and can be whitened by adding nickel or palladium
Processing
Our research in mineral processing includes fluid process modelling, high temperature processing, hydrometallurgy, materials characterisation, processing and agglomeration, and process engineering
Exploration
Our researchers in mineral exploration have expertise in many areas including geochemistry, geophysics, 3D mineral mapping, geoscience data infrastructure and modelling
Engineering underpins processing capabilities
A pilot-scale sintering facility in Queensland, Australia is helping researchers better understand the processing behaviour of lower-grade iron ores – information crucial for achieving the best sinter performance from these resources while reducing the process’s environmental impact.
Particle Analysis Service
From routine analyses for the food industry to the most complex processes used in mining, CSIRO’s Particle Analysis Service (PAS) provides clients with accurate and rapid materials characterisation.
