New atlas showcases critical minerals potential
PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Geoscience Australia has developed an atlas of sites across Australia pinpointing previously mined and discarded rock and earth which could help boost Australia’s global position as a clean energy powerhouse.
The atlas highlights sites across the nation that may contain previously overlooked critical minerals, including those used to produce electric vehicles and solar panels.
The atlas is a collaboration with RMIT University, the University of Queensland, and the geological surveys of Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Victoria and South Australia.
Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King said the new Atlas of Australian Mine Waste, could provide industry with additional opportunities to extract valuable resources from previously mined rock and earth.
“Some of the minerals we need now, and into the future, may not just be in the ground - they're also in rock piles and tailings on mine sites around the country,” King said.
“These minerals might not have been of interest when first extracted but could now be in hot demand as the world seeks to decarbonise, for example, cobalt in the tailings of old copper mines.
“This new atlas puts these potentially lucrative sites on the map for the first time and may open up new sources of critical materials.”
King said that so far, the atlas had identified 1 050 sites across Australia as possible sources of critical minerals.
“Our resources sector is the key to our net zero future – and this is another tool developed by government to help facilitate the discovery of critical minerals in a more efficient, sustainable way, and to the highest standards,” she said.
“Reprocessing rocks and earth that have been previously excavated during mining operations can give new life to old mining towns, create jobs and rejuvenate local economies.”
Comments
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Showroom
SmartMine IoT has been developed with the mining industry in mind, to provides our customers with powerful business intelligence and data modelling...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
