Co-designed research to turn OreSand potential into practice: our OreSand research partnerships bring together The University of Queensland, mining and engineering companies, construction/industrial materials producers, and public agencies to test OreSand pathways in practice.
OreSand will only scale if it works technically, commercially, and socially at real mine sites and in real markets. Since 2021, we have worked with partners in Brazil, Australia, Chile, Fiji, India, and other regions to design and trial OreSand co-production strategies. These projects are the backbone of the OreSand programme. They show what is feasible today, what could be feasible with targeted innovation, and what needs to change in standards, policy, and markets.
When we work with partners on OreSand projects, we focus on the full pathway from idea to implementation. Together we test whether OreSand makes sense technically, commercially, and socially at a given site.
Technical feasibility and flowsheet design
We assess whether OreSand can be produced at a given operation. This includes sampling, characterisation, designing mineral processing circuits to co-produce sand alongside metals, and assess market uptake and product transportation.
Product performance and applications
We test OreSand in applications such as concrete, bricks, mortars, road sub-base, backfill, and other uses, in line with relevant standards and performance criteria.
Tailings and risk reduction
We quantify potential reductions in tailings production and storage, and explore implications for tailings risk, water use, land use, and operational flexibility.
Market and regulatory context
We map potential demand, regulatory requirements, and acceptance pathways in target markets, including permitting, standards, and public procurement.
Business models and collaboration structures
We explore commercial arrangements between mine operators, construction/industrial materials suppliers, and public actors, informed by insights, business cases and financial models, from the OreSand Knowledge Hub and our OreSand commercialisation business-planning work.
Vale – Brucutu, Brazil
At Vale’s Brucutu mine, research has supported licensed production of more than one million tonnes per year of sand for construction uses. This work shows how OreSand can reduce tailings volumes, support safer tailings management, and supply local markets within existing regulatory frameworks.
Learn more about the original work that led to OreSand:
Newmont – Cadia, Australia
With Newmont, our research demonstrated for the first time that OreSand could be produced from metal sulphide ores. We assessed whether commercially available processing innovations can deliver OreSand that meets market specifications. Our trials have been encouraging, demonstrating that performance in concrete and shotcrete applications can compete with natural sand and offering insights into integrating OreSand into existing plants.
Learn more:
Our approach to OreSand research partnerships is collaborative and iterative:
Scoping and opportunity framing
We work with partners to clarify objectives (for example, tailings reduction, new revenue, supply security, or regulatory compliance), constraints, and potential OreSand pathways.
Co-designed OreSand research activities
We develop a joint workplan that typically spans mineral processing, product performance, and system-level analysis (markets, policy, stakeholder impacts), with clear roles and milestones.
Evidence generation and learning
We run technical studies and applied research with the partner’s teams. We capture quantitative data and operational lessons, and engage relevant stakeholders where needed.
Translation and next steps
Together, we identify implications for site practice, corporate strategy, and the wider system. Findings feed into internal decision-making and, where appropriate, into the OreSand Knowledge Hub, public reports, standards processes, or policy discussions.
- Independent, multidisciplinary expertise in mineral processing, circular economy, and social and environmental performance.
- Co-designed research that addresses real operational questions and constraints, not abstract models.
- Access to the OreSand Knowledge Hub, including emerging tools, benchmarks, and peer-learning opportunities.
- A chance to contribute to systems change, not only project-level gains: evidence from partnerships shapes how regulators, buyers, and investors understand OreSand and co-produced materials.
Interested in an OreSand research partnership?
To see how partnership research connects to tools, guidance and wider learning, visit the OreSand Knowledge Hub
Contact us
Dr Juliana Segura-Salazar
The OreSand program sits within the Global Centre for Mineral Security (GCMS) at UQ's Sustainable Minerals Institute.