Monash University has launched a new cross-disciplinary research initiative focused on strengthening Australia’s critical minerals capability, as global demand for the resources is expected to increase significantly in the coming decades.
Announcing the Monash Critical Minerals Initiative (MCMI), the university said Australia holds some of the world’s richest reserves of critical minerals required for the clean energy transition, but exploration rates have declined, processing capacity remains concentrated offshore, and domestic expertise is spread across multiple institutions and sectors.
In a news release, the university said the initiative comes as the International Energy Agency forecasts demand for critical minerals could double or even quadruple by 2040.
The MCMI brings together more than 40 researchers from Monash University’s faculties of Business and Economics, Science, Engineering and Arts. According to the university, the initiative will cover the full critical minerals value chain, including resource discovery, extraction technologies, environmental management, supply chain modelling, investment policy and social licence.
Professor Russell Smyth, Deputy Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Business and Economics, said addressing the sector’s challenges required expertise from multiple disciplines.
“The MCMI brings together expertise from across disciplines to help balance supply security with sustainability, ensuring that extraction, processing and recycling are efficient and responsible,” Professor Smyth said.
“By drawing on the considerable expertise on critical minerals across Monash, the MCMI can tailor solutions that anticipate market volatility, reduce geopolitical risk, and accelerate the transition to clean energy technologies.”
According to Monash, the initiative is structured around six research pillars covering new mineral resources, future processing technologies, mine rehabilitation, environmental and social impact systems, policy and economics, and national security.
The research will focus on minerals including rare earth elements, lithium and cobalt, which are used in electric vehicles, batteries, wind turbines, solar panels and defence applications.
Monash said researchers will collaborate with organisations including CSIRO, Geoscience Australia, Resources Victoria, the International Energy Agency and the ARC Research Hub for Carbon Utilisation and Recycling.
Professor Sankar Bhattacharya, from Monash’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, said the initiative aims to accelerate the development of new processing technologies.
“Our focus is in developing and rapidly scaling-up fundamental scientific proof-of-concept into future processing technologies that are environmentally sustainable and economically feasible,” Professor Bhattacharya said.
“This confidence is backed by our publications and patents harnessing critical metals from low-value and legacy wastes from other industries.”
Professor Andy Tomkins, from the School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, said the initiative would contribute to addressing the challenges associated with the energy transition.
“For too long we’ve been hearing about how climate change is going to cause catastrophic change,” Professor Tomkins said. “Now we can start to solve the problems by building the pipeline of critical minerals needed for renewable energy infrastructure, electric vehicles and advanced battery technologies.”
Professor Elizabeth Lester, Director of the Monash Climate Communication Hub, said scientific and technical advances would need to be accompanied by community confidence in the sector.
“Net zero and the energy transition are among the greatest economic, technological and infrastructure challenges Australia has faced. Yet, it is increasingly clear that a real challenge is social,” Professor Lester said.
“MCMI is well equipped to tackle the complexities and opportunities that come with critical minerals through its approach that draws on expertise from across a range of disciplines. This is the approach Australia needs to ensure it achieves a viable industry with a strong social licence.”
