Prioritising research, development and demonstration (RD&D) investment and international collaboration in critical minerals are essential to helping Australia become a leader in the global energy transition, according to a new report by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency.
The report is the first comprehensive assessment of innovation in critical minerals refining required to build a sovereign mid-stream processing industry in Australia.
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The demand for energy transition minerals has doubled in the past five years to US$320 billion, led by the exponential growth of electric vehicles (EVs) and the continued deployment of solar and wind energy.
The report provides data on the current capabilities and RD&D and international co-operation opportunities across lithium, cobalt, silicon, rare earth elements and graphite.
The report takes the guess work out of investment and policy decision-making, by unpacking the processing technology options to make essential materials for:
- lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars
- rare earth magnets used in electric cars and wind turbines
- solar PVs.
Australian Critical Minerals Research and Development Hub manager Lucy O’Connor said R&D had a pivotal role to play in realising Australia’s potential in critical mineral processing, commercialising the sector and establishing the ESG standards and practices that set Australian industry apart.
“We need to ensure research is targeted to industry problems and outcomes and can be developed into commercially applicable technologies,” she said.
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“This report provides information industry, international partners and investors, as well as the R&D sector, need to identify comparative opportunities as well as the most challenging technical bottlenecks for the sector when developing integrated supply chains in critical minerals.”
The report was funded by the Critical Minerals Office in the Department of Industry, Science and Resources and will also help inform the Australian Critical Minerals Research and Development Hub—a $50.5 million initiative that brings together Australia’s leading science agencies ANSTO, CSIRO and Geoscience Australia.
