PROJECT NUMBER: 25/025
PROJECT TITLE: Investigating the Valorisation Potential of Mine Waste for Mineral Carbonation
CLIENT: MRIWA
DISCIPLINE: Mining Engineering, Geology, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Science
SUPERVISOR: Dr Cristina Vulpe
PROJECT TYPE: Full or 3/4 – Final Year Research Project. HDR Placement students may also apply.
STUDENTSHIP: $10,125 – $16,200 (depending on project type)
DEADLINE: Tuesday 18th February via https://ceed.wa.edu.au/prospective-scholars/apply-now/
DESCRIPTION:
The mining sector in Western Australia produces significant volumes of mine waste, which poses substantial environmental and economic challenges. However, these waste streams also represent opportunities for resource recovery and valorisation.
Existing resources like MINEDEX, Atlas of Australian Mine Wastes, and Global Tailings Portal provide valuable location-specific data related to mine waste; however, they often lack the detailed internal characteristics necessary for comprehensive valorisation assessments. These limitations leave critical gaps in understanding the complex chemical and mineralogical composition required for evaluating the potential of mine wastes for various applications, including essential minerals and construction materials.
This project investigates the potential for valorising WA mine wastes through mineral carbonation, which uses mine waste materials to sequester carbon dioxide (CO2). It will focus on identifying suitable mine waste candidates, analysing existing data, and developing a framework for assessing their suitability for mineral carbonation.
Expected Outputs:
• A literature review summarising existing databases, such as MINEDEX, Atlas of Australian Mine Wastes, Global Tailings Portal and published research focusing on mineralogy, geochemistry, and physical properties relevant to mineral carbonation reactions, to understand their capabilities and limitations in providing data relevant to mine waste valorisation, particularly for mineral carbonation.
• A conceptual framework for assessing the suitability of specific mine waste types for mineral carbonation, considering factors such as mineralogy, reactivity, and potential environmental impacts.
• A list of mine waste types in WA with high potential for mineral carbonation.
The students are expected to collaborate with the other two related MRIWA’s CEED research projects.
The student will work under the direction of MRIWA.