Our first grand challenge

The Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials is a 10-year project to find innovative ways to provide the materials the world needs for the energy transition. Representatives from the five partner universities and Rio Tinto gathered in 2024 to identify the first grand challenge for the Centre: Delivering future materials systems for energy transitions with integrity: Overcoming the copper challenge. 

About the grand challenge

The aim of the first grand challenge is to sustainably meet the demand for copper and its alternatives. This is important because the energy transition involves increased copper demand and currently the industry cannot deliver this sustainably

The Centre aims to tackle the challenge using a new approach that abides by a series of prospective principles of circularity, substitutability, traceability, equity, trust, transparency, community and social resilience, environmental integrity, and substitution.

Critical for success will be the co-creation of research ideas with transdisciplinary teams which include integration of social science and technical expertise.

Our programme of work

The first projects funded by the Centre are:

Technical Research Projects

• Metal extraction from natural magmatic brines (CuBrine):

We are investigating whether it may be possible to extract copper (and other critical metals) directly from copper-rich fluids in the Earth’s crust, using extraction methods that offer considerably lower environmental impacts, and significantly reduced energy and water consumption, compared to conventional mining technologies.

The metal resource we will target comprises very salty brines formed in the shallower parts of active volcanic and magmatic systems (depths of order a few km, similar to many oilfield developments). The brines will be produced via boreholes, the metals will be extracted at surface and the waste brine re-injected into the source reservoir. The hot brines could be used as a source of geothermal energy to power production operations, and any excess energy (electrical or heat) could be provided to local populations.

Our vision is for self-powered mines with a small surface footprint, comprising a small number of well sites, supplying a surface separation plant, with minimal negative impact on local populations and the potential to have a positive impact through (i) provision of surplus cheap or low cost electrical and heat energy, and (ii) the restoration or preservation of natural habitats that could include recreational use.

• Biomining - Biotechnology-based Solutions for Future Copper Mining:

Biomining is a process involving microorganisms to extract metals from mineral ores bodies and an integrated method of collecting biological resources e.g., strains, genes, and gene products that can be harnessed for biotechnology innovation. Microorganisms including archaea, bacteria and fungi break down minerals in ores, binding or releasing metals like copper (Cu), gold, or uranium into more soluble forms. Such biohydrometallurgy is becoming increasingly recognized for its cost-effectiveness and reduced environmental impact. Biomining also enables extraction of metals from low-grade ores and treatment of waste streams including tailings and mining influenced waters (MIWs). 

However, Cu biomining presents specific challenges related to process efficiency, specificity, and stability. Effectiveness of individual microorganisms in leaching copper is influenced by factors such as mineral composition, temperature, pH, and the presence of inhibitory substances. Adapting microorganisms to site-specific mining conditions can be complex, requiring specialised traits or emergent metabolic processes. Moreover, different Cu ores demand distinct bioleaching methods with sulphide ores posing greater challenges compared to oxide ores. Thus, optimization for both growth and bioleaching potential are necessary to effectively recover Cu from different ores. Indeed, from a process development perspective identifying optimal conditions for biological activity is crucial. This involves controlling parameters like temperature, pH, oxygen, and nutrient availability. Deviations from optimal conditions can result in diminished recovery or process instability. 

Here we present a transformative approach to mining that integrates discovery of biological resources with invention of novel surface display (SD) platforms for Cu recovery. Key activities include:

1. building a biological resource discovery engine to identify Cu binding parts, and
2. development of biotechnology platforms for surface Cu binding and recovery including but not limited to cells, bacteriophage, membranes and lipid nanoparticles. These modular SD platforms will be iteratively refined under simulated real-world conditions using high-throughput automation systems and multifactorial experimental design to identify optimal performance parameters needed to
3. inform and expedite sustainable process development using hybrid living materials (HLMs) at relevant operating scales.

• Post Waste:

Hundreds of billions of tons of copper (Cu) sit idle in difficult to process mine site wastes. Novel solutions are needed to liberate this unrecovered Cu so that it can be used for manufacturing the electronics and clean energy technologies that we need for the future.  

Converting mine site wastes into Cu resources can contribute to remediation of mine sites to protect the environment whilst also contributing to meeting the Cu demand. We will explore development of ecosystems-of-resources that can enable sustainable conversion of waste into value and simultaneous environmental remediation. This involves understanding relevant biological-based and engineered-material-based opportunities to advance Cu extraction efficiency and selectivity, and adaptation of these resources to create mine-site-waste-applicable recycling systems. Creating an ecosystems-of-resources for site waste recycling will involve developing:   

1. Advanced biomining and engineered platforms for Cu extraction from diverse waste streams  
2. Engineered biomaterials and fabricated materials for selective metal recovery and remediation  
3. Integrated biological systems such as diverse microbial and plant tools and materials  
4. Incorporated water and carbon capture assessments and integrated frameworks for knowledge transfer and technology deployment.   

These approaches, resources and platforms will be tested across diverse sites to understand their feasibility and impact.

Foundational Research Projects

• Build a First Nations Research Agenda to support the Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials
• Frameworks and Methods for Social-Technological Integration
• Knowledge Review and Mapping
• The Cu Observatory