• The growing recognition of the value of the Parker Centre to the international minerals industry, as evidenced by the considerable investment in the Centre’s research by the industry: a total of A$4.67 million was invested in the past year by the Centre’s 19 Industry Participants and 59 other companies who are not Participants in the Centre.
  
  
• The Parker Centre was awarded a 2007 Cooperative Research Centres Association (CRCA) Award for Excellence in Innovation for its thickener technology research which has revolutionised the design and operation of gravity thickeners in the minerals industry. The Centre has combined world-leading advances in the science of solid-liquid separation in thickeners with effective technology transfer to assist minerals industry companies to realise benefits worth at least A$295 million dollars (net present value). Application of the Centre’s thickener research has also delivered considerable environmental benefits from water savings and a reduced footprint from the disposal of waste solids.

The presentation of a 2007 CRCA Award for Excellence in Innovation to the Parker Centre.
L-R: Dr Paul Greenhill (Chief Operating Officer, AMIRA International), the Hon Tony Staley (Chairman of the CRCA Committee), Mr Mark Woffenden (Parker Centre CEO), Dr Phil Fawell (Project Leader of the Parker Centre's "Solid-Liquid Handling" project) and Dr Jim Peacock (Australia’s Chief Scientist) who presented the awards.

Mr Woffenden accepted the award on behalf of the Parker Centre, Dr Fawell accepted on behalf of the Thickener Technology research team and Dr Greenhill accepted on behalf of all the sponsors of the P266 Thickener Technology projects and AMIRA International. The award presentations took place during the Gala Dinner of the 12th Annual CRC Association (CRCA) Conference, held at the Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre from 16-18 May 2007. A video, “Innovative research settles thickener problems for the minerals industry”, provided the diners with an overview of the Centre’s thickener research and its achievements.

Download the media release

Download the Parker Centre's successful application for the 2007 CRC Association Awards for Excellence in Innovation Category A - Innovation Arising from the Application & Use of Research:

Innovative research settles thickener problems for the minerals industry (3.07 MB)