The Institute for Industrial Decarbonisation

Mine-to-market, technology and processes for sustainable production of products derived from metalic ores and rare earths. Collaboration with mining, metal, digital and supply chain actors companies to increase domestic value creation at all stages in the supply chain

Focus Areas:

• ESG compliant critical mineral processing:  Sustainable technologies of extraction and refining of target minerals
  
• Low emission metal manufacturing: innnovation in smelting, foundry and metal making technologies
• Precision mining technologies to  reduce disturbance and increase mineral grade at point of extraction
• Circular solutions:  technologies for recovering high-value minerals and metals from historic tailings and urban waste streams
  
• Path finding and evidence base:  Scenario modelling and technoeconoic analysis to help derisk investment in modern processing and foundry plant and enabling infrastructure for key regional hubs (Net Zero Industrial Precincts)
• Traceability and provenance solutions: compliant with end market carbon policy and information systems
• International collaboration: linkage with international research and training bodies, and industry partners in end markets to support modernisation of the global metal value chain
  

Innovation to underpin Australia’s future role as the southern hemisphere hub for AI data services and high performance computing.

Focus Areas:

• “Follow the sun” compute: design and planning solutions for gigawatt AI data centres, powered by clean energy
• Energy and water use sustainability: Technologies and integration solutions for power and water use efficiency,  adapted to Southern hemisphere climates and operating environments
• DC infrastructure: Digital twin, automation and prefabrication solutions for DC topology, cooling and control infrastructure
• Sandboxing policy: Planning and compliance innovation to drive best practice and address choke points in scaling data centre development (national standards, SEPPS, NABERS, etc)
• Co-location synergies with renewables and other heavy industry

Collaboration with industrial and government stakeholders to build knowledge-based, internationally competitive industrial hubs in key mining and metal production regions, and industrial growth corridors. 

Focus Areas:

• Microgrids and islanded grids solutions at gigawatt scale to enable firm supply of competitively priced power for heavy industry, advanced manufacturing and AI data centre/ICT services  -  direct generation of clean electricity, where it is needed by industry. 
• Commercialisation of UNSW IP for clean energy firming, digital grid control and power electronics as a foundation for domestic manufacturing of equipment for domestic use and specialised export markets
• Industrial symbiosis modelling to reveal and provide an evidence base for cobenefits across water, energy, transport and heat management. 
  
• Linking and applying UNSW expertise, test beds and programs across renewable generation, storage, distribution and energy system modelling

Low-emission technologies and processes for sustainable production of essential primary materials and manufactured goods. 

Focus Areas:

• Hard-to-decarbonize critical materials:  low-carbon production solutions for essential primary goods (eg steel, aluminium, copper, plastics, silicon, cement, power fuels, fertiliser)
  
• Green chemistry (eg for fuels, polymers, composites, fertilizers)
• Process optimisation: Automation and industry 4.0 solutions for Australian manufactured goods
• Prototyping and commercialization pathways for low-emission domestic manufacturing at scale (high value density, intelligent products in fields where Australia is competitive)
• Integration of manufacturing plant within multi-function precincts, with shared power supply and infrastructure benefits (Net Zero Industrial Precincts)

Transdisciplinary research and collaborative initiatives to link and scale investment in nature-based decarbonisation and climate response activities.

Focus Areas:

• Innovation in offset market strategy, finance and accounting
• Modelling and verification to guide aggregation and deployment of offset-funded interventions at catchment, national and ASEAN scale

Linkage with other UNSW programs across: 

• Coastal & urban marine solutions that link decarbonisation, biodiversity goals and climate defense
• Arid lands solutions - restoring land to reduce soil carbon fluxes, invasive species management with biofuel offtakes.
• Optimising urban vegetation strategies for heat management/micro climate outcomes

Actionable pathways for government and industry to improve the resilience and productivity of the construction sector.

• Multi-function precinct solutions (urban, periurban and regional), leveraging shared infrastructure for energy, water, thermal management and ICT.
• Affordable housing solutions: Best practice in design, contruction materials, energy and water efficiency, and prefabrication.
• Supply chain collaborations to address choke points in supply of Australian-made low carbon building materials and components.
• Automation and prefabrication:  Pathways for adoption for robotics and advanced manufacturing systems in the construction supply chain. 
  
• AI-supported digital twin platforms for streamlining planning and approval process and optimising procurement and asset management.
• Policy sand boxing: Place-based collaborations to operationalise and test recommendations of peak body government and industry stakeholders in relation to building codes, standards, and planning policy