COEMinerals and our people get a shout out in the Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources (NIER) 2026 Annual Report

COEMinerals and team get a shout out in the Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources (NIER) 2026 Annual Report

Read the 2026 NIER Annual Report here

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PROJECT

Single stage production of ultra-high grade minerals Led by Distinguished Laureate Professor Kevin Galvin Partner — FLS The design and manufacture of a fullscale prototype of a slow-moving rake – a mechanical device for use on mine sites to separate fine minerals. This project will enhance the recovery and concentration of critical minerals, focusing in the first instance on tin and manganese. 

INDEPENDENT IMPACT ASSESSMENT South32 is a globally diversified mining and metals company. They conducted robust testing of the REFLUX Classifier (RC™). Results showed:
9%: Absolute improvement in manganese recovery (from tailings at the Groote Eylandt Mining Company).
25%: This correlates to twenty-five per cent relative productivity improvement in manganese beneficiation.

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SILVER
Global silver demand increased from approximately 30,900 tonnes in 2016 to around 35,150 tonnes in 2025. Over the same period, supply did not keep pace and remained slightly below its 2016 level, contributing to persistent market deficits. This widening imbalance between supply and demand highlights the strategic importance of improving silver circularity, particularly given the growing role of silver in photovoltaics, electrification and the broader transition towards sustainable energy systems. By 2050 Australia will have more than one million tonnes of solar panel waste, containing 300 – 500 tonnes of silver. ​“At the moment, recycling often costs more than landfill. But if recyclers can efficiently recover and sell the silver contained within solar panels, that changes the economics completely.” ~ Associate Professor Mahshid Firouzi

By combining innovative processing techniques with environmental stewardship, Australia can demonstrate how responsible resource acquisition and conservation work hand in hand.

PROJECT — Silver recovery from discarded solar panels Led by Associate Professor Mahshid Firouzi, PhD student Hamidreza Saffarian, and coPhD supervisor Laureate Professor Kevin Galvin. Continuous flotation unlocks full recovery of silver from end-of-life solar cells. This is a breakthrough acid-free method to recover high grade silver from solar panels, achieving 100 per cent silver recovery in just minutes. The team’s preliminary economic assessment suggests the flotation-based process could be three to five times less expensive than conventional acid-leaching approaches. IMPACT — Breakthrough flotation-based technology achieves 100 per cent silver recovery with no acid at ambient temperature, demonstrated at continuous large scale (TRL 5). For a plant processing roughly 3,000 t of panels per year, this equates to approximately 0.9−1.5 tonnes of contained silver annually, representing an indicative gross silver value of around A$2.7 – 4.5 million per year at current silver