WA’s energy future boosted by metals hub

Murdoch University has launched a new extractive metallurgy hub in Rockingham as part of WA’s transition to sustainable metals production.

The new facility is a flagship for research, education and industry collaboration, focusing on the extraction, processing and recycling of critical minerals essential to battery technologies and green steel production.

WA is already a world-leading producer of lithium, responsible for more than half of global production, according to Murdoch University, and holds globally significant stores of vanadium — two metals essential to battery production.

The university’s Harry Buttler Institute will operate the new hub which is set to open with research projects already underway in collaboration with major industry players, including Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO), IGO (ASX: IGO), Lynas (ASX: LYC), Tronox, Thorion Energy and South Korean raw materials giant POSCO.

The project has received support from the Minerals Reasearch Institute of WA (MRIWA) and funding from the WA Government’s Investment Attraction Fund, administered by the WA Energy and Economic Diversification Department.

Murdoch University hydrometallurgy research head professor Aleksandar Nikoloski says the hub represents a significant step forward — not just for Murdoch University, but for the entire state.

“We’re laying the platform for a future where WA is not just a commodities exporter, but a global renewable technology powerhouse,” he said.

“It’s about creating the technologies and skills needed to support a sustainable future, powered by clean energy and circular economies, and promoting collaboration between industry, academia and government.”

The facility is located near Rio Tinto’s green iron plant and will play a key role in developing green steel technologies, extending the university’s lithium innovation partnership with the miner.

The hydrometallurgy research group located at the new facility, led by Professor Nikoloski, specialises in extracting critical metals like lithium, nickel, cobalt, rare earths and vanadium from both primary sources and secondary sources.

Their work is central to building a circular economy for metals, where materials are reused indefinitely to support sustainable technologies.

“Battery production is expanding rapidly, but the materials we need are finite and increasingly difficult to source,” Professor Nikoloski said.

“The good news is metals are essentially indestructible. If we can recycle them effectively, we solve both supply and disposal challenges.”

According to the Future Battery Industries CRC Final Report, Australia has the potential to build a $17b domestic battery industry by 2030, supporting more than 61,000 jobs.

The university’s new hub has the potential to be a cornerstone of that growth and serve as a training ground for the next generation of metallurgical engineers and scientists —embedding industry-relevant research in a developing precinct to accelerate innovation and practical solutions.

Murdoch University deputy vice chancellor Peter Eastwood says the university was founded to support the minerals resources boom with education and technical expertise.

“Today, we’re doing the same, but for the state’s next great boom in critical minerals,” he said.

“We will find innovative solutions and new ways of extracting and processing critical minerals such as lithium and rare earths and developing technologies such as vanadium flow batteries for storing of clean renewable energy.”