Sara Couperthwaite MAusIMM

Chair, Critical Minerals Webinar

Sustainable Transformation of Resources for Advanced Technology Applications (STRATA) at QUT

Professor Sara Couperthwaite is an industrial chemist with over 15 years of experience in value-adding mining wastes and optimising industrial processes. She works at Queensland University of Technology's School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering, and collaborates with industry partners to solve real-world problems using fundamental research, resulting in tangible commercial outcomes.

Her primary research interest is in the adoption of clean technologies in mineral processing and the beneficial reuse of mining waste streams. She is currently leading a multi-million-dollar research program with Lava Blue to demonstrate the production of high purity alumina (HPA) from multiple feedstocks, such as clay, gibbsite, and aluminium-rich mineral producer waste streams at mini-plant scale. HPA is used as a ceramic coating on lithium-ion battery separators, which is in high demand due to the growth of the LED and electric vehicle markets.

In summary, she is committed to working with industry partners to ensure the development of the most efficient and sustainable processes to address real-world challenges and is currently focussing her efforts in critical minerals.