The greatest challenge facing the resources sector is the projected growth in the worldwide demand for raw materials.
To meet this, the future supply of raw materials will have to come from a combination of new mine discoveries, recycling, and from undeveloped deposits which have not yet commenced production. This program focused on unlocking those deposits or 'Complex Orebodies'.
The Complex Orebodies Program was established in 2018 with the aim of integrating the depth of expertise within the Sustainable Minerals Institute and the broader University of Queensland (UQ) community, to find real-world solutions to the challenges facing the minerals industry – now and into the future.
Since its formation, researchers in the Complex Orebodies Program have built significant collaborations with industry, government and communities to increase understanding of future challenges to mineral supply, and to develop innovative solutions to address those challenges.
The major challenge for new mine discoveries is that exploration costs are increasing and discovery rates are declining, so new discoveries alone will not meet future demand. In currently operating mines, grades are decreasing, and are even lower in undeveloped mines, and the quest to overcome this by economies of scale is reaching the limit of effectiveness. In fact, most undeveloped deposits or 'Complex Orebodies' are either unviable due to low grades or other technical challenges, or inaccessible due to political unrest, social outrage and/or environmental barriers.
The Sustainable Minerals Institute, in conjunction with its UQ and external partners, is uniquely placed to lead this transdisciplinary program to develop the step changes in social understanding, environmental innovation, and mining and processing efficiency which will be required to allow cost effective access to these Complex Orebodies in a way that that also enables sustainable development.
The Complex Orebodies Program was a ‘cross-cutting’ programs within the Sustainable Minerals Institute. Its focus was to ensure a sustainable supply of raw materials, including the supply of critical metals for the energy transition to a low-carbon future.
Complex Orebodies Program 2018–2022
See more on the Program's undertaken activities in the Collaboration and impact: Complex Orebodies Program 2018–2022 report.
Access the Collaboration and impact: Complex Orebodies Program 2018–2022 report (PDF, 3.5 MB)
Showcase projects
These showcase projects are some of the Complex Orebodies Program’s work from the over the course of active years, across our diverse range of topics and stakeholders.
From waste to wonder
The Mine Waste Transformation through Characterisation (MIWATCH) research group investigates the characteristics of mine waste to support the industry’s work on their environmental and social legacies, and potentially find unrealised revenue streams. It also enables new mining projects to plan how they will manage environmental risk. The Complex Orebodies Program provided the initial funding to develop this research expertise within the Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI).
Read more about this project (HTML, 207.7 KB)
Addressing the challenge of water scarcity in Chile
The arid Atacama region of Chile faces significant water supply challenges which are greatly impacting communities, industry and agriculture. The Complex Orebodies Program provided seed funding to advance initial research at the Sustainable Minerals Institute's Centre of Excellence in Chile (SMI ICE-Chile), and the Centre for Water in the Minerals Industry (CWiMI) to develop an idea for a planning tool to optimise water availability and protect local ecosystems. As a result, the idea advanced to a stage where it attracted industry support, and SMI ICE-Chile partnered with M.C. Inversiones on a three-year project.
Read more about the project (HTML, 211.2 KB)
Increasing energy efficiencies in mineral processing operations
The Collaborative Consortium for Coarse Particle Processing Research (CPR) focuses on the multidisciplinary aspects of coarse particle processing – such as flotation, comminution, classification, equipment design and process chemistry – to reduce energy use and the environmental footprint of mining operations. The Complex Orebodies Program (COB) supported the early development of this industry–research partnership.
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Lessons from Izok Lake: An innovative and integrated approach
Izok Lake, in northern Canada on the border of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, and High Lake are two exceptionally high-grade mineral deposits in a beautiful, remote, natural environment. The mining company MMG Limited is the latest custodian of those resources. They approached the Complex Orebodies Program leader to assemble a team and undertake a broad-based study of the area to seek innovative, sustainable and economically viable approaches to production.
Read more about the project (HTML, 213.3 KB)
Mapping the risks: The global database that highlights supply risk for critical metals
In 2018, the Complex Orebodies Program undertook a project to create a matrix of risks that the mining industry must overcome to unlock copper reserves. This work, led by Dr Eléonore Lèbre, has evolved and developed into an even more layered global mining dataset that quantifies risks for companies across a range of indicators. The findings have a key role to play in equitably planning how and where to mine, and ensuring a just transition to a low carbon future.
Complex Orebodies Presentation Day, 5 November 2019
The Complex Orebodies Program is reaching the end of its second year of operation. The aim of this meeting was to provide researchers and other interested parties with an overview of the research programs underway, along with their outcomes and forward plans. Presentation slides from that workshop can be downloaded below.
Complex Orebodies Program Overview, Professor Rick Valenta
Collaborating groups: Sustainable Minerals InstituteView the slides (PDF, 5.2 MB)
Complex Orebodies Database, Dr Éléonore Lèbre
Collaborating groups: Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, WH Bryan Mining Geology Research Centre, UQ Business School, School of the Environment (formerly School of Earth and Environmental Sciences)
View the slides (PDF, 12.2 MB)
System Dynamics applied to Complex Orebodies, Dr Gordon Forbes
Collaborating groups: Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre, UQ Business School, Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, Gas & Energy Transition Research Centre (formerly UQ Centre for Natural Gas)
Variability, Prediction and Visualisation, Associate Professor Marcin Ziemski
Collaborating groups: Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre, WH Bryan Mining Geology Research Centre
View the slides (PDF, 64.2 MB)
Nueva Union project, Rocio Vargas
Collaborating groups: WH Bryan Mining Geology Research Centre, SMI International Centre of Excellence in Chile
Bioengineering for In Situ Leach applications, Rob Hoelzle, Marcelo Monteiro
Collaborating groups: School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, School of the Environment, Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre
Wolfram Camp - Mine Wastes, Associate Professor Mansour Edraki
Collaborating groups: Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, WH Bryan Mining Geology Research Centre
View the slides (PDF, 77.4 MB)
Savage River OTD Cobalt, Associate Professor Anita Parbhakar-Fox
Collaborating groups: Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, WH Bryan Mining Geology Research Centre, School of the Environment
Phytomining Queensland, Philip Nkrumah
Collaborating groups: Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, School of Chemical Engineering, School of the Environment
Regional Water Supplies in Mining Regions, Dr Liliana Pagliero
Collaborating groups: Centre for Water in the Minerals Industry (CWiMI), SMI International Centre of Excellence in Chile
Community and Social Performance, Professor Deanna Kemp
Collaborating groups: Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining
Pacific ASM-LSM Interface Risks, Professor Nick Bainton
Collaborating groups: Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining
Mine Closure Database, Professor Anna Littleboy
Selective Reagents, Susana Brito e Abreu
Collaboratiing groups: Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre, School of Chemical Engineering
High Voltage Pulse, Emeritus Professor Fengnian (Frank) Shi
Collaborating groups: Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre, HUST, WH Bryan Mining Geology Research Centre
Coarse Particle Flotation, Associate Professor Liza Forbes and Associate Professor Kym Runge
Collaboratiing groups: Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre, School of Chemical Engineering
Seminar, 10 May 2019
Professor Rick Valenta, Complex Orebodies database and the overall program
Watch the seminar
Professor Malcolm Powell, Complex Orebodies-supported Integrated Process Knowledge project
Watch the seminar
The Complex Orebodies Strategic Program was officially completed in 2022.
Contact us
Associate Professor Steven Micklethwaite
Program Leader (Acting), Complex Orebodies Program
Principal Research Fellow
WH Bryan Mining Geology Research Centre
Sustainable Minerals Institute