Program
Download the full CRITCON 2023 program here...
The program includes three themes distributed across the conference days.
Theme 1 – Discovery
With accelerating demand for most critical minerals and increasing focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects of mineral exploration and extraction, there is an urgent need for new discoveries of critical mineral resources. While Australia has highly prospective geology for critical minerals, future discovery success will be challenged by the vast size of the continent and, in many cases, limited infrastructure and enabling resources (energy, water, and a skilled workforce).
We also lack fundamental information on the behaviour of critical minerals in nature, and on critical mineral ore systems, both of which are needed to develop effective exploration models.
Presentations in this theme will showcase recent critical minerals exploration successes, new research into understanding critical mineral ore systems, and advances in big data and AI that will shape the future of mineral exploration.
The presentations include:
| Topic | Presenter | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Lithium potential in the 3T (tin, tantalum, tungsten) belt of Central Africa (Keynote) | Anouk Borst | KU Leuven & Royal Museum for Central Africa |
|
Where are South Australia’s carbonatites? |
Mitchell Bockmann | Geological Survey of South Australia |
| Critical minerals in Australia - recent trends and policy settings | Michael Neimanis | Critical Minerals Office |
| Magmatic REE mineralisation in carbonatites | Michael Anenburg | ANU |
| The geology of the Mt Weld carbonatite | Ross Chandler | ANU |
| Natural source-field induced polarization exploration for an IOCG deposit | Graham Heinson | University of Adelaide |
|
Geological knowledge from data: A machine assisted and human driven approach |
Eun-Jung Holden | University of Western Australia |
|
Digital decisions that attract the herd |
Genéne Kleppe |
Digital Twinning Australia |
| Unravelling South Australia's critical mineral potential | Carmen Krapf | Geological Survey of South Australia |
| New tools for dating LCT pegmatites | Jarred Lloyd | University of Adelaide |
| REE mobility in geologic environments | John Mavrogenes | ANU |
| The Finniss Lithium Deposit, Northern Territory | Graeme McDonald | Core Lithium |
|
Recent insights into tellurium biogeochemical cycling from nano- to macro-scale |
Owen Missen | University of Tasmania |
| Precompetitive data from Geoscience Australia for critical minerals exploration | Anthony Schofield | Geoscience Australia |
|
Key genetic processes for magmatic Ni-Cu-Co-PGE sulfide systems, and recently-developed exploration tools |
Margaux Le Vaillant | CSIRO |
| Metamict zircon as a source for unconformity related REE deposits | Jessica Walsh | University of Adelaide |
| REE potential of phosphorites, Georgina Basin, Northern Australia | Diana Zivak | University of Adelaide |
Theme 2 – Characterisation
Critical mineral supply will come from bespoke orebodies (e.g., lithium pegmatites), but also from byproduct of existing base metal mines (e.g., cobalt from copper deposits) or from reprocessing of mine wastes such as tailings.
These sources are incredibly diverse in terms of physical attributes, mineralogy, geochemistry, and metal deportment and distribution. Some are associated with potentially deleterious components (e.g., uranium thorium, arsenic, and/or fluorine) that need to be carefully characterised and monitored.
Detailed characterisation of these ores is essential to improve understanding of ore formation processes, but also to designing flow sheets for efficient, economic and environmentally-responsible beneficiation and processing of ores.
Presentations in this theme will showcase recent advances in methodologies to characterise critical minerals and critical mineral ores, and present case examples of characterisation of ores and processing streams from the sub micron scale to deposit scale.
The presentations include:
| Topic | Presenter | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| The critical minerals potential of the world-class Olympic Dam Cu-U-Au-Ag deposit; Part 1. (Keynote) | Kathy Ehrig | BHP Olympic Dam |
|
Nickel and cobalt in tailings from the Eloise Deposit, North QLD |
Kam Bhowany | University of Queensland |
| Thermodynamic modelling of critical mineral systems | Joel Brugger | Monash University |
| Chemical and temporal evolution of the Mary Kathleen Complex, Mount Isa Inlier | Antony Burnham | ANU |
| The critical minerals potential of the world-class Olympic Dam Cu-U-Au-Ag deposit; Part 2. | Nigel Cook | University of Adelaide |
|
Clay-hosted rare earth element mineralisation in the Esperance District of Western Australia |
David Crook |
OreSource Pty Ltd & Mount Ridley Mines Ltd |
|
LIBS automated techniques for the mineralogical and elemental characterisation of critical mineral deposits |
Rowena Duckworth | AXT Pty Ltd |
| REE characterisation and reprocessing potential of the Mary Kathleen tailings, QLD | Nathan Fox | University of Queensland |
|
Unravelling South Australia’s critical mineral pegmatites |
Georgina Gordon | Geological Survey of South Australia |
| Secondary prospectivity of South Australia’s mine waste: Review | Laura Jackson | University of Queensland |
| Critical minerals in north QLD mineral deposits | Vladimir Lisitsin | Geological Survey of Queensland |
| The clay-hosted Koppamurra REE deposit, South Australia | Stefan Loehr | University of Adelaide |
| Critical minerals in mine wastes from far north Queensland | Olivia Mejias Gonzalez | University of Queensland |
| The behaviour of REE-bearing minerals during in situ weathering | Laura Morrissey | University of South Australia |
|
A 15 Gt resource of critical minerals? A comprehensive mapping of tailings and the potential for critical minerals across Australia |
Gavin Mudd | RMIT University |
| Drivers for Australia’s mine waste renaissance: the 3 C’s | Anita Parbhakar-Fox | University of Queensland |
|
A nanoscale vision of trace element distributions in critical minerals using atom probe tomography |
Steven Reddy | Curtin University |
| Ionic clay hosted REE mineralisation in the Gawler Craton | Rupert Verco | Cobra Resources |
| Latest advancements on automated mineralogy for critical minerals | Leonardo Salazar | Thermo Fischer Scientific |
Theme 3 – Processing
Critical minerals often occur in rocks and ores that are more complex than traditional commodities, causing their behaviour in processing circuits to be harder to predict and often resulting in lower recovery and process efficiency.
A sustainable and competitive critical minerals industry requires effort to push the existing limits of recovery and grade in ore and waste stream/tailing beneficiation processes. We will need to solve hydrodynamic challenges that can limit recovery/grade to concentrates, and extend the limits of fine particle size recovery of valuable critical minerals. Bioprocessing will also play an increasingly important role in beneficiation and critical mineral extraction.
Presentations in this theme will address the many challenges to industry in processing of critical mineral ores, and outline the latest research developments and improvements to overcome these challenges, thereby allowing progress to more efficient and environmentally-benign mineral processing technologies.
The presentations include:
| Topic | Presenter | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Application of the boycott effect in fine and coarse particle flotation (Keynote) | Kevin Galvin | University of Newcastle |
| Repurposing of mining tailings for REE mineral recovery | George Abaka-Wood | University of South Australia |
| Recent research and development studies of nickel and cobalt extraction from Australian lateritic ores | Jonas Addai-Mensah | University of South Australia |
|
Production mineralogy: Magnesite deposit at Prospect Ridge; northwestern Tasmania |
Alfredtina Appiah | University of Tasmania |
| Understanding the entrainment behaviour of silicate minerals in pentlandite flotation | Linda D. Ayedzi | University of South Australia |
| Communition trends for sustainable critical minerals processing | Mark Drechslar | CBSM Mining Services |
| Cobalt Blue's Broken Hill demonstration plant - Update on the COB process development | Aaron Einthel | Cobalt Blue |
| Kalkaroo Deposit - A critical minerals treasure trove | Chris Giles | Havilah Resources |
| Biomining critical minerals from low-grade ores and wastes | Anna Kaksonen | CSIRO |
|
Sustainable recovery of Cu-Co critical minerals |
Clement Lartey | University of South Australia |
|
Rare earth production from an Australian clay hosted deposit |
Jess Page | Australian Rare Earths Ltd. |
|
Visible light fluorescence sensing for increased efficiency in lithium mineral processing |
Tom Payten | University of Adelaide |
|
A review of magnetic separation of rare earth minerals |
Zahra Rezaee |
University of South Australia |
|
A sticky situation: Understanding and manipulating Si-gel formation from gangue mineral dissolution during in-situ leaching |
Mareike Rosemann | Monash University |
|
Copper and cobalt recovery from mineral wastes |
Pavel Spiridonov | University of South Australia |
| Critical minerals hydrometallurgical process innovations | James Vaughan | University of Queensland |
|
Elizabeth Creek: Unlocking copper and cobalt production in the Gawler Craton |
Matthew Weber | Coda Minerals |
Enquiries?
If you have any enquiries about the submission process, registration, conference venue, dietary requirements, conference dinner and workshops please contact us.