Mining and minerals processing
Mining and minerals processing equipment and infrastructure are used to target sustainable outcomes through environmental research. From in-house services such as mineral sample analysis and preparation to field equipment such as UAVs and vehicles, The University of Queensland can fulfil your mining and minerals processing needs.
Equipment
- Bond ball mill work index
- BBMWi - Lite (CSS > 106 µm)
- Bond rod mill work index
- Drop weight test
- DWT Ta abrasion only
- Equotip
- High pressure grind rolls
- Integrated DWT/SMC test
- Point load test
- Rock breakage tests: Rotary Breakage Test (RBT), RBT Lite
- SG by He pycnometer
- SG by water immersion
- SMC test
- Steel wheel abrasion test (SWAT)
Contact
Mitch Alexander
Website: Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre
Email: m.alexander@uq.edu.au
Location: Indooroopilly mine site
Services
Multidisciplinary research laboratories used primarily for running experiments and sample preparation. Limited analytical capability. Used by disciplines including:
- soil physics and geohydrology
- geochemistry
- chemistry (soil, water, plant, air)
- microbiology
- zoology / myrmecology
- seed biology
- plant physiology
- metallophyte studies
- ecotoxicology and human health
- ecological engineering.
Equipment
- Ion chromatograph
- ICP-OES
- XRF (portable)
- Spectrophotometer (Cary 60 UV-Vis)
- Respirometer (QBox)
- Custom plant growth chamber; Incubators and growth cabinets
- Microwave and block digesters
- Coldblock digester
- Autotitrator (Metrohm)
- Laminar flow cabinet
- Autoclave
- Dehydrating ovens
- Centrifuge
- Flow cells (columns)
- Soil water retention characterisation
- Multi-parameter water quality meters (including low-volume sensors)
- Various balances, shakers and sample mills (e.g. Retsch PM200 ball mill, Culatti Micro Hammer Mill)
- Olympus BX51 polarising microscope (on loan)
Contact
Yevgeniya Smith
Website: Centre for Environmental Responsibility in Mining (CERM)
Phone: 07 3443 3486
Email: cermlab@uq.edu.au
Location: St Lucia campus
Services
A research support facility for plant identification, with approximately 5,000 specimens. Many specimens are of plant species related to land rehabilitation in Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory, including one of the most comprehensive collections from the swamps of the Newnes Plateau / Western Blue Mountains region.
The online digital herbarium is a database containing high resolution scans of over 1,200 plant specimens.
Equipment
- Leica M205A microscope (high resolution magnification (160x), digital display, image capture, live measurements, multi-focus image stacking)
- Several dissection microscopes
- Specimen digitisation system
- Plant identification library
- Plant presses for fieldwork
- Specim IQ Hyperspectral camera
Contact
Dr Phill McKenna
Website: Centre for Environmental Responsibility in Mining
Phone: 07 3346 3135
Email: p.mckenna@uq.edu.au
Location: St Lucia campus
Equipment
- Grind establishment (incl. 3 data points)
- Bulk rougher flotation
- Timed rougher flotation
- Rougher followed by cleaner (open circuit)
- Rougher followed by cleaner followed by recleaner (open circuit)
Contact
Mitch Alexander
SMI Laboratory Facilities Manager
Website: Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre
Email: m.alexander@uq.edu.au
Location: Indooroopilly mine site
The Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) is equipped with a range of analytical and sample preparation equipment for mineralogical characterisation that have applications in minerals and materials science.
Equipment
- 2 x MLA600 - FEI Quanta 600 Mk1 Scanning Electron Microsocope equipped with SiLi EDAX detectors
- 1 x MLA650 - FEI Quanta 650 Scanning Electron Microsocope equipped with a Bruker SDD detector
- 1 x Leica digital optical microscope
- 1 x Struers Tegrapol automated polisher
- 1 x Struers Labatom diamond saw
- 1 x JEOL carbon coater
Contact
Gerda Gloy
Website: Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre
Phone: 07 3346 5944
Email: g.gloy@uq.edu.au
Location: Indooroopilly mine site
Services
Sample preparation/cutting/crushing/grinding.
Equipment
- Sample preparation
- Core cutting
- Bulk crushing
Contact
Mitch Alexander
SMI Laboratory Facilities Manager
Website: Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre
Email: m.alexander@uq.edu.au
Location: Indooroopilly mine site
Equipment
- Bulk dry sizing to 3.35 mm using Gilson
- Dry sizing from -5 mm to -106 µm
- Wet sizing from -5 mm to -38 µm
- Wet pre-screen followed by dry sizing from -5 mm to - 38 µm
- Cyclosizing from -38 µm to -C5
- Malvern laser sizing
Contact
Mitch Alexander
SMI Laboratory Facilities Manager
Website: Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre
Email: m.alexander@uq.edu.au
Location: Indooroopilly mine site
NRICH is a specialized laboratory within the Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, dedicated to phase identification and chemical analysis of minerals and other metal-containing materials. It delivers high-quality chemical and structural information to support geological exploration, mineral processing, metal smelting, alloy development, and e-waste characterization and management.
Equipment
- Bruker Tornado M4 EDS-based mapping XRF;
- Hitachi SU3900 variable pressure scanning electron microscope with Bruker EDS and Amics automated mineralogy software;
- Hitachi SU7000 FEG scanning electron microscope with Bruker EDS and Amics automated mineralogy software;
- Malvern Panalytical Zetium EDS-WDS-based point analysis XRF;
- Olympus VS200 optical microscope for glass slide imaging in polarised light;Rigaku Supermini WDS-based point analysis XRF;
- PHI nano-ToF SIMS with two mass-spectroscopy detectors and 3D imaging capability;
- Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP).
- Thermofisher Apreo-2 FEG scanning electron microscope with Bruker EDS and GeoMaps automated mineralogy software.
Contact
Dr Andrew Kostryzhev
Research Assistant/Laboratory Technician
Website: NRICH
Phone: 07 3443 8764
Email: nrich@uq.edu.au
Location: Foxtail 1019, 80 Meiers Road, Indooroopilly (Long Pocket Campus)
Services
Equipment to support a wide range of environmental field work.
Equipment
- Toyota Landcruiser (205 HOY)4WD, compliant with some Australian mine site light vehicle requirements
- Portable multi-parameter water quality meters
- GPS units (Trimble Nomad, Trimble Geo with optional external antenna)
- Various small tools (cameras, clinometers, height sticks, tapes, moisture probe, augers, soil sample corers)
- Tensiometers
- Rainfall simulator
Contact
Vinod Nath
Research Assistant/Laboratory Technician
Website: Sustainable Minerals Institute
Phone: 07 3346 4018
Email: v.nath@uq.edu.au