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Considerable exploration potential will be unlocked at Australia’s largest tungsten mine to aid in the supply of unlocking the critical mineral. Supported by the Queensland Critical Minerals and Battery Technology Fund (QCMBTF), underground mining operations will return to EQ Resources’ (ASX: EQR) Mt Carbine site in Far North Queensland. Tungsten possesses the highest melting point and tensile strength of all pure metals and it can be used across a range of renewable energy applications such as solar cells, wind turbines and battery storage. The Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) managed fund will provide a $20m senior secured debt facility for new plant equipment, drill testing and trial mining to further explore tungsten resources. QIC state chief investment officer Allison Hill says…

WesTrac and Thiess have celebrated an autonomous drilling record at Thiess’ Mt Arthur South operation in NSW. Last month, one million metres was autonomously drilled at the operation using a fleet of three Cat MD-series drills running with the Cat MineStar Command Autonomous Drill System (ADS). WesTrac technology solutions manager Nakia Brewer says the achievement not only reflects the highly successful deployment of autonomous drills but the strength of partnership. “When implementing new technology, it is crucial that there is a clear understanding of the problem you’re trying to solve – in this case it was to reduce operating costs and increase consistency of drilling,” he said. In 2019, WesTrac, Caterpillar and Thiess began the drilling program and following a…

Kalgoorlie, Australia – Energy solutions company Aggreko, world leader in the supply of modular power, has completed construction and commissioning of a new 4.4MW solar farm utilising 5B Maverick PV panels, as well as two Aggreko Y.Cube battery energy storage systems (totalling to 2MW/1MWh) which will supply renewable power to Northern Star Resources’ Porphyry gold mine under a long term power purchase agreement. The Porphyry Project is part of Northern Star Resources’ Carosue Dam Operations. The existing 5MW diesel power station – owned and operated by Aggreko – has been connected and integrated with the new solar farm and BESS to create Aggreko’s second thermal renewable hybrid power station in WA. “The new solar array was commissioned in February 2024…

A major step has been taken towards unlocking critical minerals and high-tech metals in NSW with results from a new mapping exercise now available. Over 18 months, eight aircraft captured data across more than 148,000km2, around one-sixth of the state. This work also included using sound waves to delve up to 50km beneath the surface. The surveys can map large areas of land with minimal disruption to the environment to help better understand the geology and possible uncover groundwater aquifers. A number of areas were highlighted for further exploration, including around Forbes, Yathong, Cobar and Dubbo. Undertaken in collaboration with Geoscience Australia, the data will be used to help enhance the understanding of the geological composition and structure of NSW.…

A new advanced product for mines to achieve ideal moisture levels to control dust using less water has been launched to the market by leading fine particles specialist RST Solutions. DEM Hydroboost Pro is an advanced dust control solution for mined materials that reduces the opportunity for overwatering and preserves product quality along the supply chain so it reaches the end user in the same condition as it left the mine. Designed by RST Solutions to improve material handling and dust control at the mine and during transferring and transportation, DEM Hydroboost Pro is an advanced solution added to water to control dust extinction moisture (DEM) levels to meet requirements for health and safety and quality control. Added once at…

Regis Resources (ASX: RRL) has approved two underground mines — Garden Well Main and Rosemont Stage 3 — to support its underground growth strategy. With the inclusion of Garden Well Main and Rosemont Stage 3, Regis will operate at least three independent underground mining areas within the Duketon gold project in WA. Located around 750m north of the current Garden Well South underground mine, Garden Well Main will open a new mining domain directly below the base of the current Garden Well open pit. The mining inventory at Garden Well Main comprises of 36% indicated mineral resources, 24% inferred mineral resources and 41% unclassified material. Recent exploration and knowledge of the local geology indicate mineralised extensions down plunge of the…

High-quality mixed rare earth carbonate (MREC) has been produced from monazite concentrate at Dreadnought Resources’ (ASX: DRE) Yin project, part of the Mangaroon project in WA. The concentrate was produced by metallurgical group ANSTO using a conventional low-temperature acid bake / leach process. The testwork was carried out on a 2kg monazite concentrate sample that was taken from combined diamond core samples from three holes drilled at Yin. The produced MREC was made up of 30.6% total rare earth oxides containing 8.3% neodymium oxide and 2.2% praseodymium oxide. It was predominantly comprised of monazite (50.6%), apatite (32.2%) and iron / manganese oxides (12%). Testwork confirmed the monazite concentrate is responsive to processing via an acid bake / leach process with…

Through its wholly owned subsidiary Suretec Solutions, Surefire Resources (ASX: SRN) has filed an Australian provisional patent application to protect its proprietary vanadium recovery process. Perth-based patent attorney WRAYS was appointed to review the process and undertake a search on the subject matter of the invention. Following this, WRAYS have confirmed to application has been lodged with IP Australia. Surefire’s metallurgical application reduces the need for standard heat pre-treatment processes currently used in the vanadium extraction industry. In May 2023, Surefire appointed METS Engineering to assess the potential for recovery of a high purity vanadium oxide in liquid form. From this, a clean high purity vanadium electrolyte could be produced for use in the vanadium battery sector. After a 96-hour…

Dense media separation (DMS) has produced manganese concentrate grades of up to 31.8% from Black Canyon’s (ASX: BCA) KR1 and KR2 deposits in WA. In late 2023, metallurgical sample preparation was completed on 400kg of reverse circulation drill chip samples from the KR1 and KR2 mineral resource estimate areas. The samples were processed using large-scale dense media separation (DMS) equipment that simulates beneficiation processing used across mining operations to upgrade manganese and iron ore in the Pilbara. The aim of this program was to produce a beneficiated manganese concentrate feedstock for use in upscaled hydrometallurgical testwork to develop and optimise the high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate flowsheet. Black Canyon managing director Brendan Cummins says the results confirm the company’s expectations. “For…

A national survey of Generation Z, 15 to 24-year-olds, has found almost three quarters (72%), believe mining is important to a net zero emissions future. However, land rehabilitation and workplace culture top the list of their concerns (a tie at 77%), followed by renewable energy use (69%) and reducing or recycling mining waste and pollution (67%). The Gen Z Perceptions of Mining report, developed by AUSMASA in partnership with Year 13, aims to better understand how young people perceive the mining industry and how to encourage more young Australians to pursue career opportunities in mining. The Mining and Automotive Skills Alliance (AUSMASA) is one of 10 Jobs and Skills Councils (JSCs) funded by the Federal Government Employment and Workplace Relations…