Facilities

ANSTO has a full suite of mineralogical, chemical and hydrometallurgical facilities from laboratory through to pilot scale.

24/7 Coverage

All our facilities are ARPANSA and ASNO licensed to handle radioactive materials.

In addition we provide a dedicated suite of in-house analytical instruments to support our client projects. These analytical facilities can be operated as needed in order to meet project requirements, including 24/7 coverage during pilot plant trials. The range of analytical techniques available includes:

Mineralogy – QEMSCAN / XRD / TEM
Solids assay – XRF, digest ICP, LECO, TGA-DSC, DNA and NAA
Liquor assay – XRF, ICP-MS, ICP-OES and ISE,
α, β and γ spectrometry

Laboratories & facilities

Extensive laboratory and piloting facilities to support your next project:

Sample receipt and preparation facility
Modern hydrometallurgical laboratories including cyanide leaching laboratory
Autoclave laboratory – multiple materials of construction options, up to 2 L scale
High engineering bay to house tall columns
Dedicated solvent extraction separation facility – mixer-settler and pulsed columns
Extensive ion exchange equipment – laboratory and pilot scale, fixed bed and RIP
Nanofiltration/membrane equipment – laboratory and pilot scale
Directly and indirectly heated rotary kilns – up to 100 kg/h
Pilot plant facilities
Demonstration plant facilities including bunded hardstand area
Extensive sample storage area

Mineralogy Facility

Our dedicated mineralogists provide specialised knowledge on the mineralogy of ores/concentrates and the wide variety of solids and residues typically generated in hydromet processes. We have well-equipped facilities that can handle a diverse range of samples, particularly those containing elevated concentrations of uranium and thorium.

Analytical Facility

ANSTO Analytical Facility conducts a range of analyses required to support our commercial projects, and can analyse everything from simple samples to complex matrices not typically dealt with by standard commercial laboratories.

Radioanalytical Facility

ANSTO’s radioanalytical facilities are recognised internationally and have extensive experience in the measurement of radioactivity from a wide variety of matrices. Our primary radoianalytical techniques include gamma spectrometry and alpha spectrometry.