Summer and Winter Research Programs for Undergraduates
The Sustainable Minerals Institute offers a number of research projects to UQ-enrolled undergraduate students, through the UQ Summer and Winter Research programs. These projects will develop your analytical, critical thinking and communication skills, through research, while providing you with an opportunity to gain research experience working alongside some of the university's leading academics and researchers.
For details on how to apply for a project, please visit the UQ Summer & Winter Research Programs website.
Projects on offer for Summer 2022/2023:
Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM): Metals for the global energy transition – an analysis of site-level ESG disclosures
Project title: | Metals for the global energy transition – an analysis of site-level ESG disclosures |
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Project Duration & Delivery: | 7 weeks duration, 35 hours per week. The applicant will need to be on-site at St Lucia Campus for the project, although work from home may be possible one day per week. |
Description: | Low-carbon energy technologies and infrastructure require an enormous quantity and diversity of metals, which cannot be sourced from recycling only. We therefore need mining to mitigate climate change, which is problematic since mining activities have historically caused adverse impacts including environmental degradation, population displacement, violent conflicts, and human rights violations. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables: | The applicant will gain a broad knowledge of sustainability challenges in the global mining sector, as well as qualitative and applied research methods. They will be expected to work collaboratively within a small research team and to report on progress regularly. Academic rigour will be critical. Should the project be successful, the student will be included as co-author in an academic paper based on the research findings. |
Suitable for: | This project is open to applications from applicant from any background, but good common sense and logical reasoning skills are critical, as well as communication and interpersonal skills to work with the research team. |
Primary Supervisor: | Dr Eleonore Lebre |
Further information: | Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Eleonore Lebre to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application. |
Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM): Coal phase-out in Australia – understanding the challenge through a critical discourse analysis
Project title: | Coal phase-out in Australia: understanding the challenge through a critical discourse analysis |
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Project Duration & Delivery: | 10 weeks duration, 20–36 hours per week. On-site attendance at the St Lucia campus is preferred, however, a remote working arrangement could be considered on a case-by-case basis. |
Description: | The transition away from fossil fuels is one of Australia’s greatest contemporary challenges. The lack of a cohesive climate and energy policy roadmap to date has led to divisive conversations in societal, business and Several important questions are being raised. These include, for example, what does decarbonising Australia’s electricity mean for regions and With a new federal government in power, Australia’s climate and energy policy is likely to see some development, including uplifting national climate ambitions and bringing the momentum needed to undertake this transition. It will also generate extensive media coverage and, therefore, rich data to collate, and analyse. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables: | The successful applicant will:
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Suitable for: | The project is suitable for an applicant with a background in journalism, mass communication or social science. Prior experience with media discourse analysis would be an advantage. |
Primary Supervisor: | Dr Vigya Sharma |
Further information: | Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Vigya Sharma to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application. |
Centre for Water in the Minerals Industry (CWiMI): The effect of fire on soil physio-chemical properties of Temperate Highland Peat Swamps on Sandstone
Project title: | The effect of fire on soil physio-chemical properties of Temperate Highland Peat Swamps on Sandstone |
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Project Duration & Delivery: | 10 weeks duration, working onsite at the St Lucia campus. |
Description: | This project will contribute to a large SMI research project called “Fire resilience of Temperate Highland Peat Swamps on Sandstone (THPSS)”. One of the objectives of that project is to develop understanding of the effect of fire and its severity on THPSS soil, hydrology and the post fire recovery process of these swamps. THPSS typically have a high resilience to fire at wet conditions, due to their usually high soil moisture, and ability to support rapid vegetation re-growth. However, THPSS of Sydney Basin overlie underground coal mining area that may affect hydrology of swamps due to an increase in swamp drainage. THPSS of Sydney Basin was severely affected by wildfires during the fire season 2019-2020. Most burnt swamps lost their surface organic matter layers (fibrous or spongy organic-rich detritus). In the most severely burnt swamps (very high or high burn severity burn class), the upper portion of the peat layers (called the alternating organic sands layer) also incinerated. Fires can alter soil physio-chemical properties. However, the effect of bushfires on THPSS that have been undermined is not understood. The successful applicant will work on the physical, chemical and hydrological analysis of pre- and post-fire soil samples collected from these swamps and develop an understanding of the effect of fire and its severity on THPSS soil and hydrology. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables: | The candidate will benefit from this project by being exposed to high-quality applied research in the mining context, and by potentially becoming a co-author in a manuscript to be published in an international journal. This project can be the start of a larger research project, such as Honours or PhD. |
Suitable for: | This project is open to students with an interest in soil physics, with strong laboratory skills and the ability and enthusiasm to learn and apply new equipment and tools. Ideal candidates would be Masters, 3rd or 4th year students of Soil, Environmental, Earth or Agricultural Sciences, or Civil/Environmental Engineering. |
Primary Supervisor: | Dr Mandana Shaygan |
Further information: | Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Mandana Shaygan to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application. |
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC): Mine to Mill optimisation opportunity through simulating
Project title: | Mine to Mill optimisation opportunity through simulating |
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Project Duration & Delivery: | 10 weeks duration. Full-time onsite attendance at the Indooroopilly Mine Site and Dassault Systems Office in Brisbane, is required. |
Description: | This research project is focused on building a case study in the suite of simulation packages in Dassault Systems to enable simulation and optimisation of Mine to Mill. The model will cover geological modelling, blast and blast movement modelling, load and haul monitoring and dynamic simulation of the processing plant. The project will focus on transferring JKMRC dynamic models into the Dassault Systems Dynamol platform and establishing the link between packages which can model each stage of the mining process. The model will then be used to perform a case study. In this process, the candidate will work closely with JKMRC researchers and the Technical team from Dassault Systems to deliver the project while the candidate gains practical experience with Dassault Systems simulation platforms and JKMRC dynamic models. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables: | The successful applicant will receive training in the use of Dassault System simulation packages and JKMRC dynamic models. The applicant will also be supervised by world-leading researchers at JKMRC and a highly-skilled technical team of Dassault Systems, a world-leading company offering software solutions to industry. |
Suitable for: | This project is suitable for students who are comfortable with learning new software packages and have programming skills, and who desire to enhance their programming skills. Previous experience with modelling and simulation software is desirable. |
Primary Supervisor: | Professor Mohsen Yanyaei - JKMRC |
Further information: | Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Professor Mohsen Yahyaei to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application. |
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC): The Use of Lightning to Treat Metal Ores – High Voltage Pulse Pre-treatment Technology
Project title: | The Use of Lightning to Treat Metal Ores – High Voltage Pulse Pre-treatment Technology |
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Project Duration & Delivery: | 10 weeks duration. Full-time onsite attendance at the Indooroopilly Mine Site is required. |
Description: | Background Comminution is especially challenged in the face of likely future ores. Comminution is the reduction of solid materials from one average particle size to a smaller average particle size, by crushing, grinding, cutting, vibrating, or other processes. Comminution is currently the most energy intensive process used in minerals operations. This will only increase for harder ores, with more disseminated, finer grained, complex mineralogies which will require finer grinding, and thus more energy input, to enable a subsequent separation to occur. High Voltage Pulse (HVP) technology is a selective comminution process designed to decrease the energy required to liberate valuable materials and enable their separation, such that the contained metals can then be extracted. HVP comminution applies electrical energy (akin to a lightning bolt) directly to ore fragments to achieve selective breakage of particles containing metalliferous mineral grains. In the past 15 years, the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) has conducted extensive research using HVP electrical comminution technology for the mineral industry and have become the leaders in this field. Three major applications for the mining industry have been identified and explored by the research team to date:
Enhanced Liberation – HPV results in preferential liberation of minerals resulting in improved recovery in the downstream separation processes. HVP can potentially enable alternative separation technologies, such as coarse particle flotation, to be viable. Project: Ore Amenability Assessment To date most of the studies has been on sulphide ores but the technology has potential to be used for other commodities i.e. critical minerals, coal, iron, etc. The objective of this Project is to test the potential of using HVP treatment on a new ore sample and quantify any benefits gained in terms of pre-concentration and pre-weakening. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables: | The successful applicant will be working with researchers in the HVP group on this project. It is envisaged that the applicant will gain valuable experimental and data analysis skills from the work to be undertaken. These include:
At the completion of the project, the successful applicant will be asked to produce a report and/or an oral presentation of their project. They will also have an opportunity to generate publications from their research work. |
Suitable for: |
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Primary Supervisor: | |
Further information: | Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Christian Antonio to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application. |
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC): Assessment of the High Voltage Pulse Process for Ore Processing – Testing and Optimisation of a Small-scale Continuous HVP Rig
Project title: | Assessment of the High Voltage Pulse Process for Ore Processing – Testing and Optimisation of a Small-scale Continuous HVP Rig |
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Project Duration & Delivery: | 10 weeks duration. Full-time onsite attendance at the Indooroopilly Mine Site is required. |
Description: | Background:
Research to date has shown HVP has significant potential to address many current and future mineral processing challenges. Nonetheless, barriers remain to industrial uptake of the HVP technology. Fundamental knowledge gaps, around ore composition and amenability to HVP, and the optimum means of incorporating this technology and the benefits it provides, into mineral processing circuits exist. Project:
This is an industry focused and sponsored project with potential industrial applications. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables: | The successful applicant will be working with researchers and a PhD Student on this project. It is envisaged that the applicant will gain valuable experimental and data analysis skills from the work to be undertaken. These include:
At the completion of the project, the successful applicant will be asked to produce a report and/or an oral presentation of their project. They will also have an opportunity to generate publications from their research work. |
Suitable for: |
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Primary Supervisor: | |
Further information: | Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Christian Antonio to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application. |
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC): Effect of feed size on Ball mill overloading
Project title: | Effect of feed size on Ball mill overloading |
Project Duration & Delivery: | 6–10 weeks duration, for two students. Hours of engagement must be between 20–36 hours per week with attendance at the Indooroopilly Mine Site required for the experimental work. Results analysis may be able to be performed remotely. |
Description: | Ball mill overloading is an important problem that can limit the grinding performance of the mill and the comminution circuit. The project aims to develop an understanding of the ball mill overloading phenomenon to develop tools to detect its onset. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables: | The successful applicant can expect to gain an understanding of the operational behaviour of ball mills. The applicant will also gain skills in data collection and analysis. |
Suitable for: |
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Primary Supervisor: | |
Further information: | Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Conrad Ndimande to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application. |
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC): Primary breakage behaviour and its effects on mineral and liberation distribution
Project title: | Primary breakage behaviour and its effects on mineral and liberation distribution |
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Project Duration & Delivery: | 10 weeks duration, for 2 students. Attendance will be required full-time at the Indooroopilly Mine Site. |
Description: | The research project will support an existing PhD project that is researching how to integrate teeter bed floatation technologies into comminution circuits aiming for early coarse waste rejection. Coarse waste rejection is a processing strategy that aims to save grinding energy and increase circuit capacity by separating gangue particles as early as possible in the flowsheet to avoid grinding the entire ore stream to the final required size. Integrating these technologies into comminution circuits poses new technical questions due to its requirement of a coarse, narrowly sized feed distribution. Its performance will also be governed by the degree of liberation of the feed to the flotation device. To optimise the effectiveness of coarse gangue rejection using teeter bed flotation, there is a need to better understand how mineral deportment and liberation are affected by comminution processes. This project will try to decouple the effects of breakage within a breakage device to be able to measure how liberation classes respond to a single primary breakage event. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables: | The successful applicant will receive training in the safe use of the breakage devices to conduct experimental investigations, as well as gain skills in accurate data collection, analysis, and reporting. The student will be integrated into the research program of the JKMRC and receive instruction on minerals processing knowledge and common breakage characterisation techniques in the mining industry. |
Suitable for: | This project is suitable for students who would like to learn basic mineral processing skills and theories. Self-motivation and willingness to learn new skills are essential. |
Primary Supervisor: | Second supervisor: PhD Candidate Hayla Miceli |
Further information: | Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Hayla Miceli to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application. |
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC): Utilisation of CO2 in Copper Smelting
Project title: | Utilisation of CO2 in Copper Smelting |
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Project Duration & Delivery: | 10 weeks duration. Full-time onsite attendance between 20–36hrs per week at the UQ Long Pocket Campus (80 Meiers Road, Indooroopilly) is required. |
Description: | Copper is a critical metal widely used in our daily life and plays an important role in clean energy transition. In the copper smelting process, copper minerals, e.g. chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), are oxidised by oxygen-rich gas to form matte, a mixture of copper sulfide (Cu2S) and some iron sulfide (FeS). This project will explore the feasibility of CO2 utilisation in the copper process for circulation of CO2 gas. FactSage software will be used to model the effect of O2-CO2 gas mixtures on matte grade and off-gas compositions. The modelling results will be further verified by high-temperature experiments and microscopy analysis. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables: | The successful applicant can gain independent research skills including literature review, high-temperature experiment, FactSage calculation, sample preparation and examination. The student will also be asked to produce a report or oral presentation at the end of the project. A publication may be generated depending on the research outcomes. |
Suitable for: | This project is suitable for students with a background in chemical or metallurgical engineering, 3rd or 4th year undergraduate studnets or master course students. UQ enrolled students only. |
Primary Supervisor: | |
Further information: | Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Xiaodong Ma or Dr Helen Tang to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application. |
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC): Utilising Hyperspectral Scanning for Geotechnical Characterisation
Project title: | Utilising Hyperspectral Scanning for Geotechnical Characterisation |
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Project Duration & Delivery: | 10 weeks duration. Attendance will be required on-site at the Indooroopilly Mine Site. |
Description: | This project involves work with hyperspectral and geotechnical data from coal mines in Bowen Basin. The student will be working on representative data to integrate mineralogical/textural/structural information from the hyperspectral data with the geotechnical data. The objective of this project is to process data from a breakage device (Short Impact Load Cell) to extract geotechnical properties as well as data already collected from hyperspectral technologies at various resolution. The student should be able to code and run hierarchical clustering analysis in Python. Potentially the results of hierarchical clustering will be presented as a dendrogram. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables: | The applicant will benefit from this project by being exposed to high-quality applied research in the mining context. He/she will work on hyperspectral and geotechnical data analysis. The successful applicant will gain skills in data analysis and reporting. At conclusion of the project the applicant will be expected to present the learnings providing an oral presentation. This project can be the start of a larger research project, such as Honours or PhD. |
Suitable for: | The project is well suited to 3rd or 4th year Engineering students – ideally Mechatronics - wishing to obtain experience in Research and Development practices for mining industry. Self-motivation and willingness to learn new skills are essential. |
Primary Supervisor: | |
Further information: | Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Karina Barbosa to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application. |
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC): Automation of impact breakage device
Project title: | Automation of impact breakage device |
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Project Duration & Delivery: | 10 weeks duration. Attendance will be required on-site at the Indooroopilly Mine Site. |
Description: | The Julius Kruttschnitt Minerals Research Centre (JKMRC) is renowned for the development of novel rock breakage and characterisation devices for mining. A research lab scale device used for particle breakage under impact is the SILC (Short Impact Load Cell). A new version of this device is set up to break smaller particles (2 mm to 600 micron) and it will require some level of automation and data processing. The objective of this project is to improve the SILC test to be fast and reliable for such small particles. The usage of laser points, hand microscope camera, and ultra-high-speed camera will be considered. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables: | The shape and height of the particles needs to be measured and prepared for experimentation, as well as a proper execution of the experiments and the analysis of the results. The successful applicant will receive training in the safe use of the breakage devices to conduct experimental investigations, as well as gain skills in accurate data collection, analysis and reporting, so the device and data processing can be automated. At conclusion of the project the applicant will be expected to provide an oral presentation on the modifications and learnings. |
Suitable for: | The project is well suited to 3rd or 4th year Engineering students – ideally Mechatronics - wishing to obtain experience in Research and Development practices for mining industry. Self-motivation and willingness to learn new skills are essential. |
Primary Supervisor: | |
Further information: | Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Karina Barbosa to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application. |
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC): Implementation of New Mathematical Models in JKSimFloat
Project title: | Implementation of New Mathematical Models in JKSimFloat |
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Project Duration & Delivery: | 10 weeks duration, 36 hours per week. Attendance will be required on-site at the Indooroopilly Mine Site. |
Description: | JKSimFloat is a computer program for simulating mining flotation concentrator flowsheets used for flotation design and optimisation studies. There are new emerging flotation models that need to be incorporated into the software. This project would involve creating for one or more models:
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Expected outcomes and deliverables: | One or more of the new models will be implemented in JKSimFloat extending the capability of the system. The applicant would gain experience with flotation circuit related modelling and get an appreciation for the steps involved in translating models into user-friendly code and producing associated documentation. Applicants would be expected to produce an oral presentation at the end of their project outlining the work performed and the learnings from the project. |
Suitable for: | This project is open to applications from students with a background in mineral processing, chemical engineering or computer science. Students in their 3rd or 4th year of study are preferred. Some programming experience would be beneficial but extensive experience is not required as the programming to be performed in the project is relatively basic in nature. |
Primary Supervisor: | |
Further information: | Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Associate Professor Kym Runge to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application. |
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC): Exploration of textural differences in pyrite flotation
Project title: | Exploration of textural differences in pyrite flotation |
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Project Duration & Delivery: | 10 weeks duration, 36 hours per week. Full-time onsite attendance at the Indooroopilly Mine Site is required. |
Description: | The effect of pyrite elemental composition and textures on electrochemical properties and flotation behaviour have been extensively studied as individual factors in single mineral studies. However, little information exists on their combined influence, interdependences, or the effect of a texture prevalence within an ore on flotation. Pyrite textures are often identified; however, their abundance is rarely quantified, particularly for complex mineralogical systems. The research project will focus on investigating the relation between pyrite textures and their prevalence, mineralogical associations, elemental composition, and electrochemical properties on flotation performance of ore samples from Mount Isa. The project scope includes proposing a methodology for identification and quantification of pyrite textures using image recognition analysis. This is an experimental project with careful data analysis/ image analysis and interpretation. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables: | The applicants will develop a range of skills in conducting experiments, the experimental method, and data analysis. Specifically, they will gain skills in flotation (including crushing, grinding, classification-sizing), having an opportunity to work in image processing, and data analysis. At the completion of the project, the successful applicant will be asked to produce a report and/or an oral presentation of their project. |
Suitable for: | This project is suitable for 3rd or 4th year students only, with a background in mining, minerals processing or chemical engineering. |
Primary Supervisor: | Associate Professor Liza Forbes and Dr Unzile Yenial Arslan. |
Further information: | Further information on this topic can be found here. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Unzile Yenial Arslan to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application. |
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC): Risk assessment frameworks for Process Autonomy
Project title: | Risk assessment frameworks for Process Autonomy |
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Project Duration & Delivery: | 10 weeks duration. Attendance will be required full-time at the Indooroopilly Mine Site. |
Description: | The research project is focused on reviewing the existing standards and frameworks for risk assessment of Autonomous systems and technologies for mining operations, understanding the gaps in existing frameworks and highlighting the needs. The work includes interviewing relevant people from mining companies and domain experts to gather evidence for the gaps.
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Expected outcomes and deliverables: | The applicant will develop knowledge of risk assessment standards and frameworks for autonomous systems and technologies in this project. This project will provide an opportunity to establish a network with industry experts and gain insight into the industry’s emerging challenges. This will be an excellent experience for the applicant to navigate their career. The successful applicant will receive supervision from studying and understanding risk assessment frameworks and standards. The applicant will also will have the opportunity to engage with experts at the other centres of the Sustainable Minerals Institute, particularly the Minerals Industry Safety and Health Centre (MISHC), and industry experts to gain their insight and understand the challenges associated with existing risk assessment frameworks for autonomous systems and technologies in the mining industry. The project will deliver a technical review of existing frameworks and standards for risk assessment of autonomous systems and technologies, including industry experts’ views on the gaps and challenges. If successful, the outcome of this project could form the central part of a journal article and a conference presentation. |
Suitable for: | This project is suitable for applicants who are comfortable with learning new topics and with search in databases. Experience with conducting interviews and good technical writing skills are valuable. Previous experience with desktop studies is desirable. |
Primary Supervisor: | Professor Mohsen Yahyaei (JKMRC) |
Further information: | Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Professor Mohsen Yahyaei to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application. |
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC): Development of a novel ore characterisation method for quantifying practical minimum comminution energy requirements
Project title: | Development of a novel ore characterisation method for quantifying practical minimum comminution energy requirements |
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Project Duration & Delivery: | 10 weeks duration, 36 hours per week. Attendance will be required full-time at the Indooroopilly Mine Site. |
Description: | Comminution, or rock breakage, is a highly energy intensive process in the mining industry. There is potential for energy savings and to improve the process efficiency, but no standard baseline is available to benchmark on-site comminution equipment. The issue lies in the unavailability of a suitable lab-scale method to determine the practical minimum energy requirements for the breakage of rocks coming from different domains of a mine. Various techniques have been developed over the last few decades, but they are limited in numerous ways:
A novel ore characterisation method is being developed at the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) to overcome the shortcomings of conventional rock breakage tests and to benchmark on-site comminution equipment. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables: | The successful applicant will gain an understanding of various ore characterisation methods and receive hands-on experience in lab mineral processing with sample preparation, crushing and grinding and material sizing. This project provides an opportunity to work on the latest developments in the ore characterisation space. The applicant will be required to deliver an oral presentation on data collection and analysis. |
Suitable for: | This project is suitable for students who have a background in Chemical engineering, Metallurgical engineering, Physics, and Mechanical. Self-motivation and willingness to learn new skills are essential. |
Primary Supervisor: | Second supervisor: PhD Candidate Shujaat Ali |
Further information: | Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Shujaat Ali to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application. |
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC): The hydrocyclone performance testing
Project title: | The hydrocyclone performance testing |
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Project Duration & Delivery: | 10 weeks duration, for two students. Attendance at the Indooroopilly Mine Site is required. |
Description: | The equipment mostly used for classification in the mining industry are hydrocyclones. Hydrocyclones have been preferred over most other devices due to their low operating costs and small footprint. They have not received as much attention as more expensive comminution units, and their technological progress has been incremental. This project is about hydrocyclone performance testing. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables: | The applicant will assist with processing samples collected from various tests. The samples will be processed by sample splitting, particle sizing and pulverising using relevant equipment. In addition, the applicant will help with data analysis. These steps are important in understanding how the hydrocyclone operating parameters can impact its' performance. |
Suitable for: | This project is suitable for any student willing to gain experience in mineral classification. |
Primary Supervisor: | Dr Vladimir Jokovic |
Further information: | Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Vladimir Jokovic to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application. |
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC): Sensitivity Analysis of GHG Emissions Tool
Project title: | Sensitivity Analysis of GHG Emissions Tool |
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Project Duration & Delivery: | 10 weeks duration, between 30-36 hours per week. Attendance will be required at the Indooroopilly Mine Site, and remote work as agreed. |
Description: | Researchers at the JKMRC have developed a greenhouse gas emissions model using system dynamics to model the emissions across the mining value chain. The model is still in its infancy and requires further development. This project will be focussed on applying mathematical sensitivity analyses to better understand the key sub-processes in the model that affect total emissions. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables: | The student will be exposed to a multi-disciplinary team working on emissions reduction methods. They will gain an understanding of the mining value chain, model development using system dynamics, sensitivity analyses, and model validation methods. The applicant will be required to deliver an oral presentation and final report. |
Suitable for: | This project is suitable for students who have a background in Mathematics, Physics or Engineering. Strong mathematical skills are essential. Python programming experience may prove valuable, as is self-motivation and a willingness to learn new skills. |
Primary Supervisor: | |
Further information: | Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Gordon Forbes to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application. |
Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC): A new cost-effective approach for coal tailings dewatering using Semi-inverted (SIV) hydrocyclones
Project title: | A new cost-effective approach for coal tailings dewatering using Semi-inverted (SIV) hydrocyclones |
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Project Duration & Delivery: | 10 weeks duration. Attendance will be required full-time at the Indooroopilly Mine Site. |
Description: | Dewatering tailings material is one of the major challenges the coal mining industry is currently facing. Scarcity of water resources, limitation of tailing storage facilities, geotechnical instability and potential failure of tailing dams, and seepage of hazardous material to the environment are among the reasons tailings dewatering has become one of the top priorities to address for the mining industry. This research project aims to develop a pilot-scale classification and dewatering process using UQ's Sustainable Mineral Institutes' Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) pilot-scale semi-inverted hydrocyclone unit, followed by coagulation and flocculation. A process will be developed to improve the performance of dewatering units at coal preparation operations. The research project will be carried out at JKMRC’s pilot plant facility at UQ. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables: | The successful applicant will receive training in the safe use of the classification devices to conduct experimental investigations, as well as gain skills in accurate data collection, analysis, and reporting. At conclusion of the project the applicant will be expected to present the learnings providing an oral presentation. |
Suitable for: | This project is suited to any Engineering students wishing to obtain experience in Research and Development practices for mining industry. Self-motivation, pro-active and willingness to learn new skills are essential. |
Primary Supervisor: | |
Further information: | Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Vladimir Jokovic to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application. |
Minerals Industry Safety & Health Centre (MISHC): Unpicking Juukan Gorge – Applying the Linear-Landscape-Layered modelling framework for identifying new questions for cultural disaster prevention
Project title: | Unpicking Juukan Gorge: Applying the Linear-Landscape-Layered modelling framework for identifying new questions for cultural disaster prevention |
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Project Duration & Delivery: | 10 weeks duration, between 30–36 hours per week. COVID-19 considerations: This project can be completed remotely. Presence on site at the Sustainable Minerals Institute (either St Lucia or Indooroopilly Mine Site) is encouraged, however other plans can be made via negotiation with the supervisory team. |
Description: | A new framework – the Linear-Landscape-Layered modelling (LLLM) framework – has been developed. This research will test the framework’s efficacy by applying data from a case study – the destruction of Juukan Gorge, Western Australia (WA). You will be trained in the use of this new framework to be able to complete the research. The key focus for the project will be to analyse how a business and/or government made a decision about the whether or how they progress with a new project. In particular, the goal of the project is to explore whether the new framework (mentioned above) can help generate new insights about how to better manage future projects similar to the one analysed in the case study. The activities of this project include: CASE STUDY DESCRIPTION: JUUKAN GORGE In 2020, the mining company Rio Tinto legally detonated an area of Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara of Western Australia to expand its iron ore mine. This act damaged two ancient and sacred rock shelters which hold significant cultural heritage value to the Traditional Owners, the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (Binigura) people, and to Australia. Following the incident, Rio Tinto said: “In allowing the destruction of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters to occur, we fell far short of our values as a company and breached the trust placed in us by the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we operate. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that the destruction of a site of such exceptional cultural significance never happens again, to earn back the trust that has been lost, and to re-establish our leadership in communities and social performance” (RioTinto 2022) |
Expected outcomes and deliverables: | The student can expect to learn about:
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Suitable for: | This project would be suited to 3rd or 4th year students, however an excellent 2nd year will be considered. The student can be from any of the following disciplines (non-exhaustive):
Other disciplines will be considered. |
Primary Supervisor: | Dr Ben Seligmann – working closely with Dr Anthony Kung and Dr Sandy Worden (all Sustainable Minerals Institute). |
Further information: | Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Ben Seligmann to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application. |
Minerals Industry Safety & Health Centre (MISHC): Enhancing mine site rehabilitation risk analysis through model combination – integrating Bayesian Networks, Causal Networks and Ecosystem Trajectory Models
Project title: | Enhancing mine site rehabilitation risk analysis through model combination: integrating Bayesian Networks, Causal Networks and Ecosystem Trajectory Models |
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Project Duration & Delivery: | 10 weeks duration, between 30-36 hours per week. COVID-19 considerations: This project can be completed remotely. Presence on site at the Sustainable Minerals Institute (either St Lucia or Indooroopilly Mine Site) is encouraged, however other plans can be made via negotiation with the supervisory team. |
Description: | Mine closure and rehabilitation is a complex process. There are many technical, environmental, social and economic considerations that must be made and managed together in order to successfully rehabilitate the mine site. Being a multi-faceted problem, this means that rehabilitation has many different but interconnected risks - i.e. the uncertainties associated with the process of rehabilitation which can threaten its success. Exploring the depth to which these diverse risks are causally interconnected is an open area of research, but critically imortant for the environment and society in the vicinity of a closed mine to thrive. Ranger is a uranium mine in the Northern Territory that is a few years away from the end of its mine-life. there is ongoing collaboration between the Supervising Scientist of the Northern Territory (NT government department) in conjunction with the Sustainable Minerals Institute at UQ to help support and enable the rehabilitation journey for Ranger post-closure. Previous work performed to undertand the risks to rehabilitation for Ranger has been two-fold:
This project explores enhancements that could be gained in mine rehabilitation risk management by combining both of the above modelling approaches, Bayesian Networks (BNs) and ecosystem trajectory models (ETM), together by means of a third kind of causal model: Causal Network Topology Analysis (CaNeTA). CaNeTA is a very flexible approach that can be used to convert data about risk events from a wide variety of sources, and embed causally connected risk events in space-time. All of these types are useful models in their own domain, and are (can be) all used to study a closure process. The hypothesis is that being able to switch between or use each of these models in an integrated way for a specific closure scenario will help improve the overall certainty in the actions to take to drive the ecosystem to where you want it to be, compared to only using them separately. This is because it is thought that combining all three approaches would yield a method that helps identify:
The key activities of this project will be:
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Expected outcomes and deliverables: | The student will gain skills in:
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Suitable for: | This project would be suited to 3rd or 4th year students, however an excellent 2nd year will be considered. The student can be from any of the following disciplines (non-exhaustive):
Students from any degree are welcome to apply, but they are required to be comfortable with the following content in the project:
IMPORTANT: You do NOT have to know the above content to be considered. We will teach you what you need to know, but we are looking for someone willing to learn. |
Primary Supervisor: | Dr Ben Seligmann (Sustainable Minerals Institute) Co-supervision will be delivered by Professor Peter Erskine (Sustainable Minerals Institute), in association with Katherine Harries (PhD student, Sustainable Minerals Institute) |
Further information: | Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Ben Seligmann to discuss this project in more detail, prior to submission of their online application. |
DATES
2022/2023 Summer Research Program
6-10 weeks duration between
November 2022 - February 2023
Applications open 15 August 2022
More Info from UQ Careers and Employability
Winter 2023 Research Program
TBA