Director's comment: Collaborating for the future

Message from Jonathan Law, Director of the CSIRO Minerals Down Under Flagship.

Mineral to Metal: Nickel (Ni)

Nickel is a versatile metal that is strong and alloys readily. These traits, combined with its resistance to heat and corrosion, mean that it is a perfect ingredient for making stainless steel. About 65 per cent of the world’s nickel is used in stainless steel production

Multiple minds are better than one

Tim Thwaites investigates how CSIRO tackles complex national challenges

Feature: Nitric Nickel

A new environmentally friendly processing method that uses and recycles nitric acid could unlock 70 per cent of the world’s nickel. Tim Treadgold reports

Intelligent mining: Moving towards online drilling

The Deep Exploration Technologies Cooperative Research Centre is developing superior data logging and sensing technologies that could see mining change dramatically. Adam Courtenay reports

Exploration: A glass earth

Unprecedented collaboration has brought together government, research institutes, universities and industry in a bold initiative to look through the regolith and uncover the next generation of Australia’s mineral wealth. Tony Heselev reports

Industry perspective: Cultivating good ideas

Sydney-based company Direct Nickel is set to unlock millions of tonnes of untapped nickel laterite reserves with a new extraction process, but it hasn’t worked alone. Direct Nickel managing director and CEO Russell Debney explains the benefits and importance of strategic collaboration.

Research perspective: Strength in numbers

Australia’s future depends on research and industry working together, writes Dr Calum Drummond, group executive of manufacturing, materials and minerals research at CSIRO

International: The Chilean connection

The CSIRO Chile Centre of Excellence is the first offshore venture for CSIRO. Kathy Uribe investigates how Australia’s national science agency ended up in South America

New research: Paradigm shift

Research and industry partners have come together to develop practical tools to predict the performance of certain ore bodies throughout the processing stage of the mine cycle. David Simpson reports

New research: Organic meets inorganic

Mineral explorers have had great success in using ancient coral reefs to find zinc deposits in the Kimberley, but links between organic matter and ore deposits remain a mystery. A WA research cluster is examining this relationship. Tim Treadgold reports

Industry engagement: United nation

Over its 20-year lifespan the Parker Centre delivered world class hydrometallurgy research to the Australian minerals industry, but it seems all good things have to come to an end. Adam Courtenay reports

Collaboration: 20 years and counting

This year the Queensland Centre for Advanced Technologies celebrates its 20th anniversary, and Maryrose Cuskelly thinks there’s plenty more to come