Magnesite 2015 Looking back & looking forward

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1 Magnesite 2015 Looking back & looking forward Dr Richard Flook Managing Principal Mosman Resources Dr David Robinson CSIRO Mineral Resources Flagship Dr Robbie McDonald CSIRO Mineral Resources Flagship

2 Agenda Janus Magnesite & magnesia Magnesite production Magnesite/magnesia trade Magnesia markets Refractories Hydrometallurgy Hydrometallurgy Nickel ores Nickel processing Caustic magnesia Direct Nickel 11/05/2015 2

3 Million Tonnes World Magnesite Production Four major periods s growth (CAGR 10%) s plateau (CAGR -1%) s growth (CAGR 6%) s plateau (CAGR 1%) 2010 s & 2020 s? /05/2015 Source: BGS 3

4 World Magnesite Production (tonnes) 30,000,000 20,000,000 R² = ,000,000 World Magnesite Production (BGS,Tonnes) World Magnesite Production (USGS,Tonnes) 0 Poly. (World Magnesite Production (BGS,Tonnes)) BGS and USGS data now closer- difference was China 11/05/2015 Source: BGS &USGS 4

5 World Magnesia Production Capacity (tonnes) 15,000,000 10,000,000 5,000, DB Magnesia (seawater,brine source, USGS tonnes) DB Magnesia (magnesite source, USGS tonnes) Caustic Magnesia (seawater,brine source, USGS tonnes) Caustic Magnesia (magnesite source, USGS tonnes) 11/05/2015 Source: USGS 5

6 World Magnesite Exports (tonnes) 250, , , ,000 50, Turkey Zimbabwe South Africa Guatemala Saudi Arabia Hong Kong, China Other (<5,000 tonnes each, 2013) 11/05/2015 Source: Trademap 6

7 World Magnesite Imports (tonnes) 600, , , , , , Taipei, Chinese Madagascar South Africa United States of America New Zealand Italy Ireland Thailand Korea, Republic of Indonesia Kuwait India Ecuador Bulgaria United Kingdom Other (<5000tonnes each, 2013) 11/05/2015 Source: Trademap 7

8 World Magnesia Exports (tonnes) 5,000,000 4,000,000 3,000,000 2,000,000 1,000, China Netherlands Slovakia Turkey Spain Brazil North Korea Russian Federation Slovenia Israel Germany Austria France Greece Other (<50K tonnes each,2013) 11/05/2015 Source: Trademap 8

9 World Magnesia Imports (tonnes) 6,000,000 4,000,000 2,000, Germany Japan USA Netherlands Austria Ukraine South Korea Taiwan China France Slovenia Italy Poland New Zealand UK Russian Federation Spain India Brazil Turkey South Africa Other (<50K tonnes each, 2013) 11/05/2015 Source: Trademap 9

10 World Magnesium Hydroxide Exports (tonnes) 150,000 CAGR 5.2% 100,000 50, United States of America Austria Israel Belgium Other (<5000 tonnes each, 2013) China Japan Ireland Mexico 11/05/2015 Source: Trademap 10

11 World Magnesium Hydroxide Imports (tonnes) 300, , ,000 Taiwan 150, ,000 50, South Korea Japan Germany Canada UK Sweden France Italy Belgium Spain USA Other (<5000 tonnes each, 2013) 11/05/2015 Source: Trademap 11

12 World Magnesia Market % 5% 5% Refractories DBM Refractories FM 7% Industrial CCM 73% Agricultural CCM Other CCM Refractories 80% 11/05/ Source: Nedmag Magmin 2012

13 World Magnesia Market % Refractories DBM - Steel 7% 34% Refractories DBM - Cement & lime Refractories DBM - Other 9% Refractories FM - Steel 29% CCM Refractories 80% ; DBM ~90% of refractories 11/05/ Source: Nedmag Magmin 2013

14 What drives the refractory market? Steel - 65% Cement & lime -7% Other - 28% (mineral processing, glass, ceramics etc) Which in turn are driven by Construction - 50% Automobiles - 15% Other - 35% (machinery, engineering etc) China produces 65% of the world s refractories 11/05/

15 World GDP & Steel and Cement Production 100,000 5,000,000 80,000 > 97% correlation 4,000,000 60,000 3,000,000 40,000 20,000 0 World GDP (US$ Billion) World Cement Production (USGS '000MT) World Steel Production (WSA, Scaled '000MT) ,000,000 1,000, /05/2015 Source: World Bank, USGS & WSA 15

16 Global Growth-short term 11/05/ Source: IMF & Reserve Bank of Australia

17 GDP by PPP(purchasing power parity) rankings Rank China China China China 2 India USA USA India 3 UK India India USA 4 USA Japan Japan Indonesia 5 Germany Germany Indonesia Brazil 6 France Russia Brazil Mexico 7 Italy Brazil Russia Japan 8 Japan France Germany Russia 9 Spain Indonesia Mexico Nigeria 10 Indonesia UK UK Germany 11/05/ Source: HSBC 2012 & PWC 2015

18 World Magnesite & Steel Production (tonnes) 30,000,000 2,000,000 1,500,000 20,000,000 1,000,000 10,000,000 World Magnesite Production (BGS,Tonnes) 500,000 0 World Steel Production (WSA,'000 Tonnes) /05/2015 Source: BGS & World Steel Association 18

19 World Steel Production 2014 North America: 121 million tons Europe: 169 million tons Russia: 71 million tons China: 823 million tons India: 83 million tons South Korea: 71 million tons Japan: 111 million tons Brazil: 34 million tons All other: 135 million tpa Asia total 1132 million tons : 68% of world total World total 1662 million tons 11/05/2015 Source: World Steel Association 19

20 Steel Outlook 2015 NAFTA : -0.9% Europe : 2.1% to 2.8% CIS: -7.3% Central & Southern America : -3.4% Middle East & Africa : 2.8% to 7.3% Asia & Oceania : 0.6% Above world average Below world average World : Growth rate 0.5% 2015; 1.4% /05/2015 Source: World Steel Association April

21 World Magnesite & Cement Production (tonnes) 30,000,000 4,000,000 20,000,000 3,000,000 2,000,000 10,000,000 World Magnesite Production (BGS,Tonnes) 1,000,000 0 World Cement Production ( USGS, '000 Tonnes) /05/ Source: BGS & USGS

22 World Cement Production 2014 United States: 83 million tons Brazil: 72 million tons Egypt : 50 million tons Turkey: 75 million tons All other: 687 million tpa Russia: 69 million tons Iran: 75 million tons Saudi Arabia : 63 million tons South Korea: 48 million tons China: Japan: 2500 million tons 58 million tons Vietnam : India: 60 million tons 280 million tons Indonesia : 60 million tons Asia total 3250 million tons : 78% of world total World total 4180 million tons 11/05/2015 Source: USGS & author estimates 22

23 Cement Outlook 2015 North America : 3 to 6% Western Europe : 0 to 3%: Central & Eastern Europe : -2 to 1% Latin America : 0 to 3%: Middle East & Africa : 5 to 8% Asia : 4 to 7% Above world average Below world average World : Growth rate 2 to 5% 11/05/2015 Source: Lafarge

24 Refractory Consumption (million tonnes) Crude steel production (million tonnes) China Refractory Trends ) Decreasing specific consumption 2) Increased % monolithic Crude steel 1 Total refractory Shaped refractory Unshaped refractory /05/2015 Source: The Association of China s Refractories Industry 24

25 China Steel Production Forecasts % % 25% % 15% % 200 5% 0% (F) 2018(F) -5% China Steel Production (Million tonnes,lhs) Change(%YoY, RHS) 11/05/2015 Source: World Steel Association, UBS

26 China Steel Demand Forecast 2015 China Steel Demand 2015 (change from 2014 & million tonnes) Automobiles (+5%), 57 Energy (+3%), 36 Other (+4.5%), 40 Machinery (+3%), 156 Construction (+1.5%), /05/ Source: China Metallurgical Industry Planning Association, UBS 2015

27 Refractory outlook Chinese steel production was expected to increase to about billion tonnes - now expected to peak at about 850 M tpa in 2020 (although BHP Billiton are still predicting tpa, February 2014) China steel consumption to grow marginally from 710 M tpa in 2014 to 720 M tpa in 2015 and peak at 740 M tpa in 2017 before declining to 630 M tpa by 2025 & 567 M tpa by 2030 Chinese refractory steel specific consumption was about 30/Kg steel in 2000 and is expected to reach about 13Kg/t steel by 2020 Deutsche Bank expects property-related cement demand will contract by 10 percent in China this year. Demand linked to infrastructure projects however may increase by 12 percent, boosted by China s silk road project. Chinese refractory production is expected to decline from 29 M tpa in 2013 to 26 M tpa by 2017 (CAGR -3%) Peak refractories has arrived 11/05/ Source: The Association of China s Refractories Industry, BHP Billiton & China Metallurgical Industry Planning Association

28 Hydrometallurgy Caustic calcined magnesia Industry is relatively mature Industrial water treatment Heavy metals removal Removal of SO 2 from flue gases (FGD) Pulp and paper Agriculture Stabiliser in production of rubber Production of magnesium cements Also used in the production of rayon, fuel additives Feedstock for dead burned and fused magnesia Hydrometallurgical processing of base metals (e.g. Ni, Co, Cu), uranium and rare earths 11/05/

29 World Nickel Mine Production (tonnes Ni content) 2,500,000 2,000,000 1,500,000 1,000, , Philippines Indonesia Russia Australia Canada Brazil New Caledonia China Colombia Cuba South Africa Madagascar Dominican Republic Other 11/05/2015 Source: USGS 29

30 World Nickel Production CAGR production 3.7% About 4.5 M tpa of nickel bearing scrap is collected and recycled This scrap contains almost 350,000t of nickel (or 25% of the total annual demand) and is mainly used by the stainless steel industry Most significant change in last decade has been the emergence of nickel pig iron (NPI: <15% Ni) 11/05/ Source: Visual Capitalist & International Nickel Study Group

31 Nickel production outlook Chinese nickel pig iron(npi) production is expected to decline from 510ktpa in 2013 to ~350ktpa in 2019 Indonesian NPI is expected to reach ~80ktpa by 2019 Supply from new projects will add about ~500ktpa by 2019 Demand is forecast to grow by ~4.2% CAGR /05/ Source: Glencore December 2014

32 Nickel Markets (2012) 9% 6% Stainless steel 20% Steel and non ferrous alloys 65% Plating Batteries and chemicals 11/05/2015 Source: International Nickel Study Group 32

33 Nickel Markets Stainless steel has had a CAGR of 5%. Overall market CAGR of 4.2% Asia is now the largest regional market for nickel with 65% of total world demand China now has 44% of world nickel demand compared with 8% ten years earlier 60% Nickel market by source (%) Pellets, powders Electroyltic 40% 20% Briquettes Nickel pig iron (<15% Ni) Ferronickel (<80% Ni) 0% Stainless steel Steel & nonferrous alloys Plating Batteries & chemicals 11/05/ Source: International Nickel Study Group

34 Cobalt Production Production CAGR > 5% Cobalt is mainly produced as a by-product from Copper industry (~53%, DRC & Zambia) Nickel industry and other metals (~42%) and direct production is only about 5% of total New production will probably come from Africa (~50%) Australasia (~24%) Americas (~10%) Asia (~5%) ROW (~11%) 11/05/ Source: The Cobalt Development Institute

35 World Cobalt Mine production (tonnes Co content) 120, ,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20, Congo (Kinshasa) Canada China Russia Australia Zambia Cuba Brazil New Caledonia Morocco Other 11/05/2015 Source: USGS 35

36 Cobalt Markets (2012) 27% 38% Batteries Super alloys (Ni/Co/Fe/Cr..) Abrasives 8% Catalysts 10% 17% Other (hardfacing, magnets, chemicals, pigments) 11/05/ Source: The Cobalt Development Institute

37 Cobalt Markets Cobalt metal demand is about 80,000 tpa Recent demand increases have come from China and ASEAN Superalloys (eg aircraft and gas turbine engines) have historically been the major market Recently, rechargeable batteries have become the major market (from 26% of market in 2006 to 42% in 2013) Future growth of superalloys will be in line with general economic growth (CAGR~3%) However, demand for batteries, which will be driven by Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) and Electric Vehicles (EV) as well as general electric storage will be higher (CAGR~8%) 11/05/ Source: The Cobalt Development Institute & Deutsche Bank 2014

38 Cobalt Batteries Basically, there are three technologies which are in order of increasing cobalt content and growth opportunity: Nickel-Cadmium (Ni-Cd) Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) Lithium ion (Li-ion) Of the three systems, the Li-ion battery contains by far the greatest amount of cobalt per cell. The cathode active material can contain up to 60% cobalt rather than the 5-15% of Ni electrode cells and accounts for about 50% of the weight of the cathode. Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO: LiCoO 2 ) is the preferred cathode material but others can be used 11/05/ Source: The Cobalt Development Institute & Deutsche Bank 2014

39 % Cobalt Cobalt Batteries Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO: LiCoO 2 ) has been the main technology since it was first introduced in 1991 Tesla Motors currently uses the Nickel Cobalt Aluminium (NCA: LiNiCoAlO 2 ) technology Shift towards Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) is possible Future cobalt demand will depend on technology changes 60% BUT 2 billion Tesla 40% Powerpacks to power the world 20% 0% LCO NCA NMC Other Cobalt consumption as a % of active material in various Li-ion batteries Other LMO: Lithium manganese oxide (LiMn 2 O 4 ) LFP: Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO 4 ) 11/05/2015 Source: The Cobalt Development Institute & Deutsche Bank

40 World of Nickel CSIRO Mineral Resources Flagship

41 CSIRO Mineral Resources Flagship The Minerals Resources Flagship works with industry to grow Australia's resource base, increase productivity and drive environmental performance. The Flagship's overriding goals are to: Work with industry to develop mining and processing technologies that unlock currently uneconomical resources, and by providing exploration technologies that lead to new discoveries Increase productivity by optimizing current processes and systems, and by delivering transformational new technologies Drive environmental performance through developing new technologies that provide global leadership in environmental stewardship Ensure resources support society now and into the future. We will do this by providing impartial analysis that will enable a national dialogue on resources and their impact on society and the environment.

42 World of Nickel Production and Reserves

43 Global Nickel Resources Laterites Sulphides Source : BHPBilliton Australian Site Tour Presentation Stainless Steel CSG (October 2008)

44 Ni laterite definition Regolith, derived from ultramafic rocks, that contains commercially exploitable reserves of nickel (and, commonly, cobalt) Broadly formed by the removal (leaching) of Si and Mg, with absolute and residual accumulation of Ni and Co Ni mobilised and precipitated with secondary minerals (Fe oxides, clays and Mg silicates) In economic terms results in high grades and/or tonnages of Ni-rich material Nakety, New Caledonia

45 Nickel Laterite Processing Two main categories: limonites and saprolites Source: Malachite Process Consultant ALTA 2009 Presentation, Vale Goro 2013

46 Nickel Laterite Processing Two main categories: limonites and saprolites Source: Malachite Process Consultant ALTA 2009 Presentation, Vale Goro 2013

47 Nickel Laterite Processing Two main categories: (1) limonites & (2) saprolites Process will depend on ore Source: Malachite Process Consultant ALTA 2009 Presentation

48 Annual Production (kt) Nickel Production Trends World Nickel Production Nickel Production 1990 (944 t) 4% 2% 5% 19% Sulphide (conventional) Laterite (ferronickel) Laterite (Caron) % Laterite (HPAL) Laterite (Other) Year Nickel production from laterites (~60%) now exceeds that from sulphides (40%) Nickel Production 2012 (1772 t) 8% 5% Sulphide (conventional) 4% Sulphide (bioheap leach) Laterite (ferronickel) 43% Laterite (nickel pig iron) 20% Laterite (Caron) 19% Laterite (HPAL) 1% Laterite (Other)

49 Nickel Laterite Processing - production Nickel Production 2012 (1772 t) 20% 4% 8% 5% 43% Sulphide (conventional) Sulphide (bioheap leach) Laterite (ferronickel) Laterite (nickel pig iron) Laterite (Caron) 19% 1% Laterite (HPAL) Laterite (Other)

50 Nickel Laterites Processing Options

51 Processing Options Laterite Ores - known deposits, but technology and CapEx driven Pyro: Mining Reduction RKEF smelting Crude FeNi FeNi Refining FeNi Hydro: Key considerations: Ore type, Nickel grade and resource intensity Energy cost CapEx Mining Leaching (PAL, AL, HL) Concentrating MHP / MSP Refining Key considerations: Nickel grade and resource intensity Sulphur / Acid cost Inf rastructure and CapEx Nickel metal Source : BHPBilliton Australian Site Tour Presentation Stainless Steel CSG (October 2008)

52 Nickel in Matte Smelting Process Description Ore and coal/coke Ore Preparation Coarse Rejects Air and oil Rotary Kiln Sulphur or pyrite Hot Ore Transfer Electric Furnace Slag Air, oil and flux Converter Slag Granulation Matte Source: PT Vale Indonesia (PT INCO Indonesia)

53 Ferronickel Smelting Process Description Ore and coal/coke Ore Preparation Coarse Rejects Air and oil Rotary Kiln Hot Ore Transfer Electric Furnace Slag Soda ash Ladle Sand and lime Converter Slag Ferro-Nickel Source: PT Vale Indonesia (PT INCO Indonesia)

54 Ferronickel Smelting Global Operations Existing Operations Doniambo (New Caledonia) Falcondo (Dominican Republic) Cerro Matoso (Columbia) Larco (Greece) Indonesia (Pomalaa, Soroako) Loma de Niquel (Venezuela) Gwangyang (Korea) Onça-Puma (Brazil) Ferronikeli (Kosovo) Japanese (Various) Koniambo (New Caledonia) Koniambo

55 Caron Process Description Not expanding No MgO used Source: A. R. Burkin in Extractive Metallurgy of Nickel, John Wiley and Sons, 1987, pp 55

56 Caron Global Operations Existing Operations Nicaro (closed 2012, Cuba) Punta Gorda (Cuba) Tocantins (Brazil) Yabulu (QNI, Queensland, Australia) Yabulu

57 High Pressure Acid Leaching Process Description Ore Preparation Pressure Acid Leach Expanding Can use MgO Neutralisation, CCD and tailings Precipitation and Releach Solvent Extraction Cobalt Recovery Nickel Recovery Source : R. Mayze, Bateman Brown & Root, ALTA 1999

58 HPAL Global Operations Existing and Previous Operations Moa Bay (Sherritt International, Cuba) Murrin Murrin (Minara Resources, Australia) Cawse (Australia shut-down 2008) Bulong (Australia - shut-down 2003) Rio Tuba (Sumitomo, Philippines) Ravensthorpe (First Quantum Minerals, Australia) Ambatovy (Sherritt International, Madagascar) Ramu (Highlands Pacific, Papua New Guinea) Goro (VNC, New Caledonia) Goro

59 HPAL Process Flowsheet MHP = Mixed (Ni,Co) Hydroxide Precipitate Source : McDonald and Whittington, Hydrometallurgy, 2008

60 EPAL/HPAL Process Flowsheet MHP = Mixed (Ni,Co) Hydroxide Precipitate Source : McDonald and Whittington, Hydrometallurgy, 2008

61 Other hydrometallurgical processes/issues Copper-cobalt processing Magnesia imported from USA or Australia Vulnerable to hydration and ageing before use High-grade magnesia to produce cobalt hydroxide intermediate with low Mg Intermediate readily re-leached (for electrowinning) Tolerance for Mg in cobalt electrolyte ~5 g/l Uranium (acid leach) processing Optimum precipitant for each plant is ore specific (e.g. Cluff Lake, Canada) Suitable for chloride-containing systems (e.g. Uranium Corporation of India Limited ) Rare earth (acid leach) processing May be preferable to lime or limestone for removal of Th, Fe, Al prior to REE recovery

62 Reagents competing with CCM Reagent Price ($US/t)* Basicity Cost (t CaO equiv./t) # (US$/t basicity) Neutralising capacity (t/t Ni) Limestone Lime Hydrated lime CCM Caustic soda Soda ash Ammonia * Prices from 2010

63 CCM advantages for nickel recovery Advantages No gypsum (CaSO 4.2H 2 O) formed (less bulky precipitate) High nickel content MHP product 45-49% (higher for pure Ni and Co products) Low magnesium in MHP (seed recycling) Ammonia re-leach of MHP eliminates harmful Cr/Mn from SX circuits No sodium addition cf caustic soda and soda ash (environmental impact of discharges) Disadvantages More expensive than Ca-containing options High nickel recycle loads (precipitation of other metals, e.g. Al, Mn) Sulphate impurities require caustic treatment Higher moisture compared with basic carbonates

64 CCM usage Theoretical (Ni only) Theoretical (Ni + 1:10 Co) Neutralising capacity (t CCM/t Ni) Ravensthorpe 0.82 Cawse For the chemists (X= Ni or Co) 5XSO4 + 4MgO + 4H2O X5(OH)8SO4 + 4MgSO4

65 CCM properties impacting usage Mineral (e.g. magnesite, brucite) Particle size - finer Surface area - larger Porosity/pore diameter high surface area Reactivity (CAR test) - higher Ageing and hydration fresh surface Note: Process conditions also impacting usage and carryover of Mg to MHP include temperature & mode of addition (see S. Pillay and C. Pawlik, Mintek 2012)

66 CCM demand in laterite and other processing Current Ravensthorpe (30,000 tpa) DRC Future Weda Bay project to use soda ash Opportunities better for other ores than nickel laterites Unclear for cobalt DRC export ban on copper/cobalt concentrates scheduled at end of 2014

67 Challenges to Laterite Processing The ores High variability in local mineralogy and chemistry Variable composition through laterite profile Ore beneficiation is very difficult without significant nickel losses Variable process performance with mineralogy Additional challenges Poor history of recent projects Very high capital cost Challenge of needing economies of scale Nickel price instability Location of most ore bodies Infrastructure requirements

68 Processes Under Development Sulphide and laterite co-leaching Variation of HPAL technology Addition of oxidant required Bioleaching Atmospheric leach(al) or heap leach using fungal or microbial metabolites Combination of processes Roasting pre-treatment prior to atmospheric leaching Hybrid atmospheric leach HPAL with sulfuric acid and Mg recovery AL technology employing HCl and chloride salts Novel (AL) flow sheets under development Hydrochloric acid Organic acids Nitric acid

69 The Direct Nickel Process Source :

70 The Direct Nickel Process 10Ktpa Ni plant could produce 40Ktpa MgO Magnesia composition (pilot plant) 93% MgO, 1.1% Ca, 0.3% Ni, 0.3% Mn, 0.1% Fe, 0.02% Al, 0.02% Cr, 100 ppm Si, 10 ppm Cu+Co+Zn, 2.9% NO3

71 The Direct Nickel Process Demo Plant

72 Ευχαριστώ πολύ

73 Author Profile Dr Richard Flook has worked for both suppliers and consumers of minerals with global companies including, Steetley plc, Anglo American, Commercial Minerals (now Sibelco), Normandy Mining Ltd, Omya AG and Shinagawa Refractories. Richard has been CEO, Managing Director & Director of Asian and Australasian companies. He has specialized in new business opportunities including strategic planning, trading, market development and acquisitions in the industrial minerals industry and has been involved in managing and developing mineral operations and businesses in Asia and Australasia. Richard is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy (FAusIMM (CP)), the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD) and the Australian Institute of Energy (FAIE). He is a graduate of Sydney University (BSc First Class Honours, PhD) and the University of NSW (Master of Commerce). Since commencing consulting in 2014, Richard s clients have come from five continents. 11/05/

74 Author Profile Dr David Robinson joined CSIRO in 2007 and is currently a Group Leader for the Base and Precious Metals group within the Mineral Resources Flagship. David has over 25 years industry, research and management experience in base metals hydrometallurgy in areas as diverse as mineral characterisation, geometallurgy and rheology, atmospheric and pressure leaching, solvent extraction and acid as well as bioheap leaching. Prior to joining CSIRO, David spent 18 years working with Anglo Platinum and Anglo American in South Africa in various roles from Research Program Manager, Precious Metals Refinery Production and Technical Manager and external Research Manager. David s background specialty is in base and precious metals chemistry, refining and applications, particularly the platinum group metals (PGM s). More recently he has led research efforts around nickel laterite processing technology development and low grade copper sulphide processing options. In addition key technologies such as solvent extraction and electrowinning have been the focus of his R&D interests. He has also spent a considerable part of his career bridging the often large void between industry needs / demands and research establishment outcomes / capabilities. 11/05/

75 Author Profile Dr Robbie McDonald joined CSIRO in 1993 and is currently a Senior Research Scientist and Research Team Leader in the Mineral Resources Flagship. Robbie is responsible for developing and leading capability areas relating to Pressure Hydrometallurgy that include sulphuric and hydrochloric acid leaching, pressure oxidation, oxidative ammoniacal leaching, hydrogen reduction and the measurement of high temperature metal solubility. He has extensively studied the fundamentals of the High Pressure Acid Leach (HPAL) process for nickel laterites and is involved in the development and use of suitable quantification models (e.g. crystallographic) for the characterisation of ores and leach residues. Robbie has been the Project Leader for the collaboration between CSIRO and Direct Nickel since 2008 and is active in developing and leading projects for other clients in his areas of expertise. Robbie has a total of 45 peer reviewed and conference publications. 11/05/

76 CSIRO Mineral Resources Flagship Advanced Processing Technologies Improved nickel laterite processing Contact Information Dr Dave Robinson (BSc MSc MBA PhD) Theme Leader, Advanced processing technologies Minerals Down Under Flagship Phone: David.Robinson@csiro.au