CSIRO is inviting applications for the upcoming round of its free eight-week Innovate to Grow program for startups and SMEs, to be focussed on critical minerals. According to a statement from CSIRO on Monday, the online course will offer help with companies’ “innovative ideas”, new R&D opportunities, and refinement of concepts to “better position themselves…
By Christoph Nedopil, Griffith University Australia has flourished as an export powerhouse for decades. Much of this prosperity has been driven by the nation’s natural endowment with two important raw products for producing steel the traditional way: iron ore and metallurgical coal. Worth more than A$100 billion in 2024, Australia’s iron ore shipments to China…
Minerals-from-waste processing company Latrobe Magnesium has been granted an extension to its pilot project licence, now valid until February 2, 2027, by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria. The licence governs operations at its Hazelwood North site, where the company is pursuing its patented process to extract MgO from fly ash, a byproduct of brown…
Battery recycling company Iondrive has announced a new project with the CSIRO to convert waste graphite from spent lithium-ion batteries into anode-grade material, extending the usefulness and revenue-generating potential of the company’s proprietary Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) platform. According to a statement from the company on Tuesday, the project kicked off on July 1 and…
A contract worth over $20 million has been awarded for concrete works at what will be the world’s biggest high-purity aluminium materials factory, located in Gladstone, Queensland and with capacity for over 10,000 tonnes of HPA equivalent per year. According to a statement from Alpha HPA — the owner of the upcoming factory — the…
The nation’s hopes of becoming a major exporter of critical minerals are suffering due to risks to onshore lead and zinc refining, according to research commissioned by Nyrstar, which processes these and other metals in Australia. According to a statement from Nyrstar Australia on Thursday, the new research from economics firm Mandala in The Economic…
Titomic signs collaboration agreement with DNV Last week cold spray additive manufacturing company Titomic announced a strategic collaboration agreement with DNV, an assurance and risk management provider. According to a statement from Titomic, it will advance Titomic’s efforts to obtain certifications for its coating and repair technologies across the oil and gas and maritime sectors,…
What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to @AuManufacturing were reading. 5) Computer/information services and the path to a Future Made in Australia It is now well understood by innovation policy analysts and advisers that, on many fronts, Australia stands at a pivotal crossroads in its innovation journey, writes Dr John H Howard.…
A pioneering technology could be the answer to the troubled Whyalla steelworks’ future, according to an industry veteran with more than 45 years of experience. Neil Goodman, who helped design, build and operate the world’s first commercial scale Hi-smelt plant in Western Australia, believes the technology offers significant advantages over traditional steelmaking methods and could…
CSIRO has launched a new R&D grant program, offering mining and manufacturing SMEs (fewer than 200 employees) specialising in graphite between $10,000 and $50,000 per project as well as access to facilities and expertise. In a statement on Friday, the nation’s scientific agency said the grant opportunity’s focus is on “accelerat[ing] the growth of the…