Geomechanics.io

  • Free Tools
Sign UpLog In

Geomechanics.io

Geomechanics, Streamlined.

© 2026 Geomechanics.io. All rights reserved.

Geomechanics.io

CMRR-ioGEODB-ioHYDROGEO-ioQCDB-ioFree Tools & CalculatorsBlogLatest Industry News

Industries

MiningConstructionTunnelling

Company

Terms of UsePrivacy PolicyLinkedIn
    AllGeotechnicalMiningInfrastructureMaterialsHazardsEnvironmentalSoftwarePolicy
    Research
    Projects

    CSIRO quantum battery breakthrough: critical minerals lens for engineers

    March 18, 2026|

    Reviewed by Joe Ashwell

    CSIRO quantum battery breakthrough: critical minerals lens for engineers

    First reported on Australian Mining

    30 Second Briefing

    Australian researchers led by CSIRO have built the world’s first proof‑of‑concept quantum battery, using entangled quantum states to charge multiple cells collectively rather than individually. The lab‑scale device, fabricated in CSIRO’s clean quantum battery engineering lab, is designed to scale to solid‑state architectures compatible with grid‑scale storage and electric vehicles. If commercialised, the technology could sharply increase demand for high‑purity critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements, with tighter specifications on impurity control and crystal defect behaviour.

    Technical Brief

    • Prototype cells are fabricated in CSIRO’s clean lab to tightly control particulate and chemical contamination.

    Our Take

    CSIRO’s parallel work on petalite-based lithium extraction suggests that any quantum battery chemistry they back is likely to be aligned with non-traditional lithium feedstocks, which could diversify upstream supply options for Australian projects beyond spodumene.

    Across the 41 Materials stories in our database, CSIRO appears repeatedly as a technology catalyst rather than a project operator, signalling that Australian miners may need to engage early with CSIRO-led IP if they want a stake in future critical-mineral battery value chains.

    The combination of CSIRO’s low-frequency connectivity trials for underground and remote mining and its quantum battery research points to an integrated R&D agenda in Australia where power storage, data links and automation are being developed as a package for hard-to-access deposits.

    Geotechnical Software for Modern Teams

    Centralise site data, logs, and lab results with GEODB-io, CMRR-io, and HYDROGEO-io.

    No credit card required.

    • Save and export unlimited calculations
    • Advanced data visualisation
    • Generate professional PDF reports
    • Cloud storage for all your projects

    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

    Related Articles

    Legrand green steel cable management: embodied carbon cuts explained for project teams
    Materials
    about 21 hours ago

    Legrand green steel cable management: embodied carbon cuts explained for project teams

    Legrand is now supplying cable management systems made with 34% green steel, targeting high‑demand data centre projects that can require hundreds or thousands of kilometres of cabling. The green steel uses at least 75% scrap in electric arc furnaces powered by certified renewable electricity, cutting embodied carbon from about 2.38t CO2e to as little as 799kg CO2e per tonne of finished cold‑rolled steel, a 70% reduction versus blast furnaces. This shift is already lowering Legrand’s Scope 3 supply‑chain emissions and offers contractors a straightforward route to reduce project embodied carbon.

    £377M to keep Scunthorpe blast furnaces open: supply and risk lens for engineers
    Materials
    3 days ago

    £377M to keep Scunthorpe blast furnaces open: supply and risk lens for engineers

    Government spending of £377M over nine months has been required to keep British Steel’s two Scunthorpe blast furnaces operating following emergency intervention by the Department for Business and Trade in April 2025, the National Audit Office has reported. The support covers ongoing operation of the integrated works, including coke ovens and basic oxygen steelmaking, which supply long products and rail sections critical to UK infrastructure projects. Engineers face continued uncertainty over future capacity, investment in low‑carbon steelmaking routes, and long‑term security of domestic steel supply for major schemes.

    Rio Tinto–Prysmian low‑carbon aluminium rod: implications for cable designers
    Materials
    6 days ago

    Rio Tinto–Prysmian low‑carbon aluminium rod: implications for cable designers

    Rio Tinto has completed an industrial trial with Prysmian to produce low‑carbon aluminium rod for power cables, blending metal from its hydro-powered Alma smelter in Quebec with ELYSIS inert-anode technology that eliminates direct smelting greenhouse gas emissions and generates oxygen. The trial sits within a five-year supply agreement signed in October 2023 to roll out lower‑carbon aluminium cable solutions for energy transmission and data centres. CRU forecasts data centres will grow from about 7% of North American cable demand in 2025 at roughly 17% CAGR to 2030, with aluminium gaining share for campus power distribution.

    Related Industries & Products

    Mining

    Geotechnical software solutions for mining operations including CMRR analysis, hydrogeological testing, and data management.

    Tunnelling

    Specialised solutions for tunnelling projects including grout mix design, hydrogeological analysis, and quality control.

    CMRR-io

    Streamline coal mine roof stability assessments with our cloud-based CMRR software featuring automated calculations, multi-scenario analysis, and collaborative workflows.

    HYDROGEO-io

    Comprehensive hydrogeological testing platform for managing, analysing, and reporting on packer tests, lugeon values, and hydraulic conductivity assessments.

    GEODB-io

    Centralised geotechnical data management solution for storing, accessing, and analysing all your site investigation and material testing data.