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To support Australia's green energy transition, initiatives like the Australian Critical MineralsCritical minerals Prospectus, New South Wales’ (NSW) Critical REEsRare earth elements program, and Queensland (QLD) New Economy Minerals Initiative were launched to secure sustainable supplies of critical mineralsCritical minerals. As part of these initiatives, new resources of critical metalsCritical metals need to be identified including slag. In this study, non-ferrous slag materials from five QLD and NSW mine sites were sampled between 2020 and 2023. These sites represent diverse ore systems, primarily copperCopper and/or gold, with heterogenous slag textures. Geochemical analysis revealed elevated concentrations of critical (e.g., In, Bi, W), state declared high-tech (e.g., Cu), and precious metals (e.g., Ag, Au). Mineralogical characterisation showed dominance of Ca-Fe silicate, olivine, pyroxene, and glass phases. Notably, NSW slag’s olivine was enriched in Bi (up to 9574 ppm) and Pb (43,920 ppm), while QLD’s slag contained Au (up to 5.04 g/t). These results indicate economic metals of interest and their host phases, helping to inform extractionExtraction strategies, with a view towards developing future economic rehabilitation opportunities.

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Examining Critical Metals in Australia’s Non-ferrous Slag: Insights from Integrated Characterisation Techniques

  • 会议论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Lexi Kng,
  • Allan S. Gomes,
  • Laura Jackson,
  • Sibele Nascimento,
  • Dipanshu Sharma,
  • Princess Rochelle Gan,
  • Olivia Mejías,
  • Rosie Blannin,
  • Anita Parbhakar-Fox

摘要

To support Australia's green energy transition, initiatives like the Australian Critical MineralsCritical minerals Prospectus, New South Wales’ (NSW) Critical REEsRare earth elements program, and Queensland (QLD) New Economy Minerals Initiative were launched to secure sustainable supplies of critical mineralsCritical minerals. As part of these initiatives, new resources of critical metalsCritical metals need to be identified including slag. In this study, non-ferrous slag materials from five QLD and NSW mine sites were sampled between 2020 and 2023. These sites represent diverse ore systems, primarily copperCopper and/or gold, with heterogenous slag textures. Geochemical analysis revealed elevated concentrations of critical (e.g., In, Bi, W), state declared high-tech (e.g., Cu), and precious metals (e.g., Ag, Au). Mineralogical characterisation showed dominance of Ca-Fe silicate, olivine, pyroxene, and glass phases. Notably, NSW slag’s olivine was enriched in Bi (up to 9574 ppm) and Pb (43,920 ppm), while QLD’s slag contained Au (up to 5.04 g/t). These results indicate economic metals of interest and their host phases, helping to inform extractionExtraction strategies, with a view towards developing future economic rehabilitation opportunities.