Perth is to be home to a world-leading minerals and chemistry precinct that will cost $40 million to establish and employ 200 research and teaching staff.
Perth is to be home to a world-leading minerals and chemistry precinct that will cost $40 million to establish and employ 200 research and teaching staff.
The partners in the centre will be Curtin University, CSIRO Minerals and the Western Australian Government, which has agreed to transfer its Chemistry Centre from its ageing East Perth premises.
Curtin will invest up to $30 million in a new purpose-built complex at its Bentley campus, while CSIRO Minerals plans to spend $9.5 million expanding its existing laboratories on adjoining land.
The precinct will perform a range of functions, from research on minerals processing to police forensics and air and water quality monitoring.
“The establishment of the chemistry precinct will provide high quality chemistry services for organisations like the WA Police and both local and international industry,” State Development Minister Clive Brown said.
CSIRO Minerals program manager alumina production John Farrow said the three participating organisations would benefit from improved access to specialist equipment and technical support.
“There is nothing like this in the world,” Dr Farrow said.
“This will be the largest concentration of research groups focused on the minerals industry anywhere in the world.”
CSIRO Minerals specialises in processing technology for alumina, base metals such as nickel, copper and zinc – and precious metals such as gold.
Dr Farrow said the division already had the world’s largest independent research group on the Bayer process, which is used to produce alumina from bauxite.
“The research is not ad hoc but is a user driven process,” he said.
Dr Farrow said he was hopeful of attracting direct industry participation in the new precinct.
Discussions were underway with a number of small and mid-sized companies about locating their technical research staff at the new precinct.
He was also speaking to Murdoch University about relocating its minerals science group.
CSIRO Minerals, Curtin, Murdoch and the University of Queensland already have a connection through the AJ Parker Cooperative Research Centre for Hydrometallurgy, which obtains funding support from companies including Alcoa, AngloGold, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and WMC Resources.
Curtin vice-chancellor Lance Twomey praised the decision to relocate the Chemistry Centre to the Bentley campus.
“Curtin now has the opportunity to co-locate relevant teaching departments and research units with the Chemistry Centre, encouraging greater synergies between the two organisations,” Professor Twomey said.
The new facility will be built over the next two years, paving the way for redevelopment of the Chemistry Centre’s current home in East Perth.
As well as relocating the Chemistry Centre, the Government has decided to convert it to a statutory authority, to be known as the Office of Chemistry.
This is designed to improve funding and governance.
In a related move, Mr Brown announced last week that the Government had signed a memorandum of understanding with Curtin, University of WA, Edith Cowan University and Murdoch University to establish the Western Australian Institute of Chemical Sciences.
