Undertaken by UniSA’s School of Engineering and Future Industries Institute, the research is based around the Oxley Potassium project and is expected to reduce cost of mineral processing through using molten salts.
As part of the three-stage collaborative research funding program, the team will expand the existing molten salt research for solar energy applications into minerals processing. They will also further bolster engagement between the research sector and industry.
UniSA Division of Information Technology, Engineering and the Environment (ITEE) pro vice-chancellor Simon Beecham said: "This project is a good example of research inspired by real-world challenges and opportunities, partnered with end-users, and underpinned by excellence.
"It involves UniSA researchers from a variety of disciplines, ranging from engineering to minerals processing, together with a South Australian industry partner to manufacture low-cost fertilizers."
The collaboration will focus on developing a minerals processing circuit to leach, extract, and purify metals from silicate minerals in a molten salt environment.
UniSA associate research professor Frank Bruno said that the proof of concept for the molten salt separation technology will have to address mechanical and materials engineering issues involved with transferring and separating solids from highly-reactive molten salts at high temperatures.
Centrex Metals CEO Ben Hammond said that the technology will take advantage of the liquid properties of molten salt to convert metals within silicate ore to an extractable form and also separate and purify them without requiring aqueous processing.
Centrex Metals Limited CEO Ben Hammond said: "It will allow us to look at competing in the bulk fertilizer space for our globally unique large-scale potassium feldspar deposit at Oxley, creating more long-term jobs in Australia’s currently struggling mining industry."
The first two stages of the project have secured funding from the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA) and the Mining Industry Participation Office of South Australia (MIPO).
Image: University of South Australia associate research professor Frank Bruno. Photo: courtesy of University of South Australia.
