Partnering for progress through In Place Recovery

Orica has received a $2.4M CRC-P Grant from the Australian Government, in collaboration with the University of Adelaide, BHP, and Core Resources. This industry-led research endeavour, known as the In-Place Recovery project, aims to develop innovative mining techniques that will enable the sustainable extraction of critical minerals while improving safety and reducing energy and water consumption for our customers.

In-Place Recovery (IPR) is a mining method involving blasting a stope, applying a lixiviant to dissolve metal-bearing minerals, and pumping the leach solution to the surface for processing. It's a safer, energy-efficient alternative to traditional mining, resulting in lower emissions, reduced water consumption, minimal surface disturbance, and no tailings. The proposed IPR project aims to conduct fundamental research and field trials for future commercialisation.

In-Place recovery results in lower emissions, reduced water consumption, minimal surface disturbance, and no tailings.

Phase one focuses on optimising the hydrometallurgical extraction of critical metals through experimental work, developing a customised fragmentation and heave modelling capability to define drill and blast parameters, and creating a fluid flow transport model through the broken rock mass by incorporating output from blast models with hydrology modelling. The integration of kinetics, blasting, and hydrology data aims to produce a sophisticated multi-physics simulator for accurate forecasting of mining performance.

Moving on to Phase Two, the focus shifts towards the practical application of the developed simulation tools. This involves designing a proof-of-concept trial, obtaining regulatory approvals for on-site experimentation, and conducting a field trial at a mine site belonging to our project partner. The primary objective of this phase is to demonstrate and validate the underground leaching model in a real-world mining environment.

Keep up to date with Australian Government grants and programs: 

Visit the Co-operative Research Centres Projects page.
See the latest CPC Project selection round outcomes.