ANSTO welcomes today’s announcement by Lynas Rare Earths Ltd of a $20 million grant awarded under the Australian Government’s Modern Manufacturing Initiative – Manufacturing Translation Stream.
Read more about the announcement from Lynas here.
The Manufacturing Translation Scheme, an initiative of the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, supports Australian manufacturers to scale-up their business, build on their competitiveness, engage in business and research collaboration, and translate their high-quality research and ideas into commercial outcomes.
The grant awarded to Lynas will support the development of the Apatite Leach Circuit project to process apatite-rich ores at its Mt Weld ore site in Western Australia.
The process to remove apatite mineral was developed in collaboration with Lynas and ANSTO’s Minerals unit, who provided technical guidance and laboratory testing from its Lucas Heights research facility. Going forward, ANSTO will work with Lynas on the implementation of the project on a commercial scale.
Acting General Manager for the Minerals team at ANSTO, Dr Karin Soldenhoff, said ANSTO has had a longstanding relationship with Lynas over the last two decades.
“We look forward to continuing to work with Lynas and lending our deep hydrometallurgical expertise to the Apatite Leach Circuit project for the benefit of Australia’s growing rare earths industry.”
For over the past 40 years, ANSTO’s Minerals unit, made up of a dedicated team of engineers, metallurgists, chemists, and scientists, has provided practical solutions and innovative technology to the Australian minerals and minerals processing industries, with a focus on critical minerals, particularly the rare earths.
Critical minerals are widely used in a variety of essential and everyday products, including mobile phones and computer monitors. These minerals are also growing in global demand for the manufacture of renewable and clean energy technologies, such as lithium-ion batteries, electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar panels.
ANSTO is also an active participant in the Australian National Critical Minerals Research and Development Hub which brings together the critical minerals expertise of ANSTO, CSIRO, and Geoscience Australia. The Hub will work with industry partners to drive Australia’s research priorities and build global partnerships, targeting technical bottlenecks in critical minerals supply chains.
For more information, visit the Australian Government’s Critical Minerals Office and Critical Minerals Strategy 2023–2030.
