Researchers from The University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute have found 11 critical and strategic metals, including copper, cobalt, silver and antimony, in the waste of metalliferous and coal mine sites across New South Wales – opening the door to a secondary source of minerals critical to the energy transition.
These minerals are key in renewable energy technologies like wind turbines and batteries, but the main producers are based overseas, so Australia has an incentive to find sources closer to home.
Searching for critical minerals
As part of an initiative by the New South Wales state government, researchers from SMI’s W.H Bryan Mining and Geology Research Centre MIWATCH team analysed samples from 21 current and historic mine sites in NSW which were identified as having potential deposits of critical minerals and high-tech metals hidden in their waste.
Associate Professor Anita Parbhakar-Fox explained that over 1,200 samples were collected and analysed using cutting-edge scientific techniques in geochemistry, mineralogy and mineral chemistry, leading to the identification over 10 critical minerals at concentrations considered worthy of further investigation.
“We found enrichment of metals like antimony and bismuth in minerals that are classically host ore metals, so conventional mineral processing technologies would l likely be able to target the recovery of those quite effectively,” Dr Parbhakar-Fox said.
NSW critical minerals strategy
NSW Minister for Natural Resources Courtney Houssos said in a statement that this release of data is an important part of the state’s critical minerals strategy.
“This pre-competitive data helps to minimise investment risk in exploration and identify new opportunities,” she said.
“We know how important mining is to communities across the state. More exploration means more jobs and more investment in regional NSW.”
