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Minerals industry moving towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions

The minerals industry in Australia is important economically but equally important is the challenge of ensuring the use of our resources is not at a cost to the environment.

• 28 November 2007 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Opportunities to reduce emissions 
• Technologies to harness these opportunities 
• New technologies for future opportunities 
• Developing alternative processes 

CSIRO is working with other research and development (R&D) bodies to ensure sustainability of Australian industry.

A key focus of this research is energy usage and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the minerals sector.

Opportunities to reduce emissions

Through the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Sustainable Resource Processing, CSIRO used life cycle assessment methods to calculate energy use and related GHG emissions in various metallurgical processes.

This allowed researchers to identify the major opportunities for reductions.

CSIRO’s study revealed that, at higher ore grades, the greatest opportunities for energy and emission reduction in Australia and globally lie in the metal extraction stages of steel and aluminium production.

Technologies to harness these opportunities

Several promising technologies for reducing energy usage and GHG emissions in existing mineral processes are emerging.

Some examples assessed in CSIRO’s study are:

• HIsmelt – using a direct (single-stage) process for ironmaking 
• charcoal from biomass – replacing coking coal with renewable fuel
• dry granulation of slag – avoiding energy input for slag drying 
• strip casting – reducing energy consumption by continuously casting
• drained cathode cells – reducing energy usage in aluminium production
• waste heat recovery – harnessing waster heat for energy.

New technologies for future opportunities

As ore grade inevitably declines in Australia over time, the mining and mineral processing stages will contribute more significantly to energy usage and GHG emissions.

Scientists are investigating potential improvements to these processes as well. CSIRO’s assessment investigated the energy reduction potential of two technologies for the grinding and crushing stage:

• stirred mills
• high pressure grinding rolls.

Developing alternative processes

In parallel to improving existing processes, CSIRO and other organisations are also developing alternative, less-energy intensive processes across the metal supply chain.

Read CSIRO's Reducing Australia's greenhouse emissions factsheet.