Monash University has launched its Critical Minerals Initiative (MCMI), pooling more than 40 researchers from its Business and Economics, Science, Engineering and Arts faculties to address Australia’s limited critical minerals processing capacity. The programme targets midstream processing and value-add rather than just extraction, responding to rapidly rising demand for battery and magnet materials such as lithium, rare earths and nickel. For miners and processors, the move signals more R&D support for flowsheet development, processing technology and policy settings aimed at onshore refining.

Fine coal recovery is driving uptake of advanced flotation cells such as Eriez StackCell® units, which use high-shear contacting and a compact, staged design to recover and upgrade ultrafine coal that conventional mechanical cells and column flotation often lose to tailings. By targeting particles typically below 100 microns and improving combustible recovery from existing slurry streams, these systems can lift plant yield and revenue without new mining, while cutting waste volumes and associated tailings storage demands.

Canadian Manganese Company, GreenMet, AmForge and Flash Metals USA have formed the North American Critical Manganese Alliance to build the first fully integrated Canada–US manganese supply chain, anchored by CMC’s Woodstock carbonate deposit in New Brunswick, described as North America’s largest known manganese carbonate system. The Canadian platform will focus on Woodstock mine development, beneficiation and hydrometallurgical refining to intermediate manganese products, while a US platform in West Virginia will handle specialty processing, battery-grade chemicals, alloys and defence/aerospace materials. For engineers, this signals potential new North American sources of high‑purity manganese feedstock for cathode materials and specialty steels.