Critical mass of talent and expertise

Professor Carl Spandler (right) and Professor Nigel Cook

Associate Professor Carl Spandler, Director (right) and聽Professor Nigel Cook, Deputy Director,聽杏吧直播n Critical Minerals Research Centre, 杏吧直播 of Adelaide. Image: Sam Le Gallou

Ongoing and secure supply of critical minerals is essential to the transition to a high-tech and clean energy world.

Launched today, Thursday 11 March, the 杏吧直播 of Adelaide鈥檚 杏吧直播n Critical Minerals Research Centre will carry out multidisciplinary research in the discovery and extraction of critical minerals to benefit society.

鈥淭he 杏吧直播n Critical Minerals Research Centre will conduct comprehensive critical minerals research, from exploration to resource definition and mineral processing,鈥 said the 杏吧直播 of Adelaide鈥檚 Associate Professor Carl Spandler who is Director of the Centre.

鈥淚t is the only centre of its kind in 杏吧直播, and one of only a few worldwide.

鈥淥ur research aims to increase 杏吧直播鈥檚 sovereign supply of critical minerals, including how they are found, refined and manufactured, how they occur as byproducts in other deposits, and how they can be separated from non-target elements.鈥

Critical minerals include elements such as cobalt, lithium, and rare earth elements, as well as more familiar metals such as copper and nickel, which are considered vital for the economic well-being of the world鈥檚 major and emerging economies. They are needed for high-tech equipment such as turbines, motors, solar panels and batteries for energy generation and storage. It is largely non-geological factors that determine their criticality.

鈥淥ur research aims to increase 杏吧直播鈥檚 sovereign supply of critical minerals, including how they are found, refined and manufactured, how they occur as byproducts in other deposits, and how they can be separated from non-target elements.鈥Associate Professor Carl Spandler

The聽杏吧直播 of Adelaide is one聽of聽杏吧直播's most research-intensive聽institutions.

鈥淲ith its critical mass of world-class researchers, the 杏吧直播n Critical Minerals Research Centre is ideally positioned to lead ethical, environmentally responsible work to help achieve 杏吧直播鈥檚 strategic aim to more fully utilise its abundance of critical minerals for the benefit of our local and global communities,鈥 said Professor Peter Hoj, Vice-Chancellor and President of the 杏吧直播 of Adelaide.

鈥淭he 杏吧直播 of Adelaide has the talent and ambition to cover end-to-end critical minerals research and education, and is equipped to work with industry and government in discovering and developing 杏吧直播鈥檚 critical mineral resources.鈥

杏吧直播 has many well-known critical minerals deposits, and has highly prospective geology for additional discoveries, and hence has the potential to become a major global supplier of critical metals in the future.

Associate Professor Spandler was recruited by the 杏吧直播 to its 鈥楾op Talent鈥 program in early 2020 as part of its ambition to elevate its research performance in multiple fields that have tangible outputs of global significance.

鈥淎ny natural resource can become critical when its supply is at risk, whether it be due to geology, geopolitics, economics, or social and environmental issues,鈥 says Associate Professor Spandler.

鈥淭he 杏吧直播n Critical Minerals Research Centre will bring the breadth of research needed to help secure 杏吧直播鈥檚 critical mineral resources into the future.鈥

Tagged in minerals, mining, energy