Trailblazing resources innovation
New projects in WA’s resources technology and critical minerals will take-off if a Curtin-led project is successful in its bid to be included in the national $242 million Trailblazer program.
The Resources Technology Trailblazer (RTT) is one of only eight university projects, and the only one in WA, to be shortlisted for Trailblazer funding, based on its potential to deliver commercialisation capabilities in resources technology and critical minerals – one of the Federal Government’s six national manufacturing priorities.
Steered by Curtin, the consortium behind the bid includes the University of Queensland, James Cook University and 35 industry partners involved in lithium, nickel cobalt, vanadium and hydrogen resources. The WA and QLD State Governments, Minerals Research Institute WA, the Queensland Resources Council and the Cooperative Research Centre for Future Batteries Industries, are also on board.
They have designed a new critical-minerals processing industry for Australia that delivers significant downstream opportunities in the battery materials, technology minerals and hydrogen supply chains.
Curtin’s IP Commercialisation director Rohan McDougall, says it’s a unique industry consortium with advanced research and commercialisation expertise relevant to the supply chain of new energy systems.
He says if successful in the bid for Trailblazer funding, the RTT will start work developing a suite of products and services that support sustainability and productivity in resources technologies and critical minerals.
They include chemical engineering technologies to improve resource extraction and for
large-scale hydrogen production and transportation, digital tools to increase operational efficiency, technologies to recover value from mine waste and electronic waste and enterprise to exploit the battery materials value chain.
“For example, Australia has yet to exploit its potential for capabilities across the battery minerals value chain – just a one percent shift would deliver an extra $2 billion in value for the national economy,” Mr McDougall says.
“More efficient transport and storage of hydrogen, and new products and services that support industry optimisation and transition to net zero, could provide similar benefits.”
Complementing the Trailblazer program, the government recently announced the $1.6 billion Economic Accelerator program, which aims to bring industry and university research together to boost prioritised research and development and drive commercialisation outcomes.
Mr McDougall says Curtin is a recognised leader in the commercialisation of research outcomes and will also be a strong contender for Economic Accelerator funding to support commercialisation initiatives relevant to WA’s resources and energy industries.