Mining companies must produce unprecedented quantities of metals and minerals, and the supply of these minerals is driving resource extraction into new geographic areas, vulnerable ecosystems and new communities.
The University of Queensland (UQ) is investing seed funding to catalyse impact-driven research in this area.
The Resourcing Decarbonisation Strategic Program aims to answer fundamental research questions and rethink options to address supply issues and what innovations can be used responsibly.
Researchers are tackling the sources and supply risks around mineral supply, mitigating the carbon impacts of the resources sector, examining market incentives and policy protections, and understanding the complex risk interactions associated with decarbonising society. The program also aims to grow interdisciplinary and cross-jurisdictional research on minerals, energy transitions and sustainable development.
The goal will be to unlock responsible energy transition mineral supply in a manner that respects ecosystem, reduces energy intensity and delivers against the rising expectations of performance in environmental, social and government (ESG) issues.
The Resourcing Decarbonisation program was an outcome of the Complex Orebodies Research Program which ran from 2018 - 2022
The Resourcing Decarbonisation Strategic Program projects focus on five key themes:
- Energy minerals: complexities of supply and risk
- Mitigating the carbon intensity of resource production
- Market incentives and business readiness
- Policy protections and social safeguards
- Risk interactions and complex system behaviour
Energy minerals: Complexities of supply and risk
A National Digital Twin for Critical Metals and ESG
The purpose of this Project is to visualise in 3D, national scale critical metal data (drill core assays, surface sample geochemistry, hyperspectral scans etc) in a dynamic and continually updating digital twin environment, known as “Digital Earth”. This will better inform government decision-makers and the exploration industry, and help accelerate timelines to discovery while at the same time providing better insights into potential environmental impacts.
Mapping environmental, social & governance (ESG) risks to Australia's mining sector
This project aims to advance knowledge of environmental, social & governance (ESG) risk mapping in the Australian mining context and produce a tool that will enable more strategic decisions by industry and government on where and how to extract energy transition minerals.
Tools to Support Climate Resilient Resource Development
This project aims to map climate risks to the mining industry across Australia, using high resolution climate projections, as well as raising awareness of the type of degree of physical climate risks through data dissemination.
Critical Metals potential of Goongewa Zn-Pb Deposit, Canning Basin
The aim of this project is to characterise the Goongewa Zn-Pb deposit, from the Lennard Shelf, in Western Australia. The Goongewa Deposit is a carbonate-hosted base metal deposit, which likely formed at low temperatures, similar to other deposits on the Lennard Shelf in the Canning Basin, Western Australia. The goal is to understand the potential for deposits in the area to be a source of transition energy metals such as Ga, Ge and In, as well as Pb and Zn.
From Core to Float: Novel data visualisation techniques for improved predictive capability in flotation
This project aims to determine which factors are the most important for determining whether particles formed from those minerals will separate in a floatation cell, a key unit operation in minerals processing operations.
High Voltage Pulse-Enhanced Leaching of Mineral Ores
This project is developing short-pulsed high voltage discharges, which act like a lightning strike to selectively break mineralised ores whilst keeping barren rocks intact. This selectivity makes it possible to choose the material which should go to the processing plant and leaving behind material which contains little or no metal.
Mitigating Carbon Intensity of Resource Production
Improving Coarse Particle Flotation in Conventional Flotation Cells
Market Incentives and Business Readiness
Critical Metals Data Infrastructure – Integration In AusGeoChem
Improving circularity in Queensland’s new economy minerals
This project aims to demonstrate how circular economy principles can be applied in Queensland's mining industry to produce energy transition minerals. While circularity is still in its infancy in mining, the project team plan to take the lead in developing the concept by comprehensively assessing the implications of innovative approaches to reduce waste generation at the source and increase resource value through the transformation of silicates into valuable materials such as construction or industrial sand (i.e., ore-sand).
Circular Economics of Climate Induced Innovation in Mining Regions
This project is developing circular economy business models for the mining sector and modelling the economics of mine waste reduction.
Policy Protections and Social Safeguards
Towards improved ESG performance and sustainability in the Chilean lithium extraction industry
This project intends to propose alternatives to achieve an improved ESG performance and sustainability of the lithium extraction industry in Chile, contributing to the responsible lithium supply for decarbonisation.
Social safeguards and policy protections for Australia’s critical minerals
This project from aims to map potential social risk of critical mineral projects and review Australia's social safeguard policies.
Risk Interactions and Complex System Behaviour
Advancing social equity in decarbonisation: Connecting social, economic and environmental systems and policies in multiplex causal networks
This project aims to improve understanding of interactions of social equity dimensions (social, environmental and economic systems) in mine-host regions via a complex network approach based on complex systems, social risks and social equity theories. This will enable identification of the interacting points between social equity dimensions, stakeholders and policy networks, providing insights into the compound effects and accumulated challenges associated with decarbonisation interventions.
The Resourcing Decarbonisation Strategic Program works closely with partners in government, industry and other academic insititutions including:
- Euclideon Pty Ltd, a Brisbane based 3D data solution company on A National Digital Twin for Critical Metals and ESG
- University of Exeter, via the QUEX program on Circular Economics of Climate Induced Innovation in Mining Regions
- BHP on High Voltage Pulse-Enhanced Leaching of Mineral Ores
- Queensland Government on Improving Circularity in Queensland’s New Economy Minerals
- Queensland Government and ICMM on Tools to Support Climate Resilient Resource Development
Research lead
Associate Professor Steven Micklethwaite
Principal Research Fellow, Sustainable Minerals Institute
View Steven Micklethwaite's research profile
Leadership panel
Associate Professor Simon Smart
School of Chemical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
View Simon Smart's research profile
Associate Professor Laura Sonter
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Faculty of Science
View Laura Sonter's research profile
Caroline Stott
Associate Director, Energy Transitions
Strategic Partnerships – Government and Industry
View Caroline Stott's profile
Professor Greg Marston
Centre Director, Centre for Policy Futures
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
View Greg Marston's profile
Contact us
Get involved or learn more about the program.
Associate Professor Steven Micklethwaite
Principal Research Fellow
WH Bryan Mining Geology Research Centre
Sustainable Minerals Institute
Find SMI on social media
SMI on LinkedInSMI on XSMI on FacebookSMI on YouTubeSMI on SoundCloud