Hong Peng

Biography:

Dr. Hong (Marco) Peng is now an Amplify Senior Lecturer at School of Chemical Engineering, the University of Queensland (UQ). He gained his PhD degree in Chemical Engineering at UQ with OZ Minerals Award for Excellent Thesis (2014). He had also the industry experience as a chemical engineer at Olympic Dam site and Newcastle Technology centre, BHP Billiton (2006-2009).

Research:

His research focuses on fundamental aspects of chemical engineering processes, with a specialization in unlocking nucleation and crystallization phenomena with projects on utilization of waste resource as functional materials for critical metals and carbon capture & utilization. Dr. Peng is CI for ARC Research Hub for PVRS and ARC Training Centre for the Global Hydrogen Economy and the recipient of the prestigious Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowships (Both Early and Middle Career).

Projects and Research Grants:

1. Green hydrogen generation from high-current-density electrocatalysis, ARC Discovery Project 2026-2029,(Co-CI)
2. Value-Added Process for utilisation of silica-dominated chloride stream, Rio Tinto Innovations, 2025-2026 (Leading CI)
3. Valued-Products from Rare-Earth contained Kaolin Feed, Resources Technology & Critical Minerals (RTCM) Trailblazer Project, 2025-2026 (Leading CI)
4. Chemical Beneficiation of High Silica Bauxite Through Thermal Activation, Ma’aden (Saudi Arabian Mining Company), 2025 (Leading CI)
5. Producing High Purity Alumina from Kaolin, RTCM Trailblazer Project ,2024-2025 (Leading CI)
6. Desilication Product Seed for Sandy DSP Process, Rio Tinto,2023 (Leading CI)
7. Lime reduction during pressure oxidation of gold-bearing sulphides, Newcrest, 2023 (Leading CI)
8. Controlling iron precipitation during pressure oxidation of gold-bearing sulphides, Newcrest, 2022-2023 (Leading CI)
9. Metal-based zeolite catalyst development for CO2 hydrogenation, 2022-2025, ARC Training Centre for the Global Hydrogen Economy (Co-CI)
10. The effect of anions on early stage co-growth of desilication products (DSP) in a synthetic Bayer solution, 2022, Australian Synchrotron Access Program (ANSTO) (Leading CI)
11. Developing low cost technology to turn clay to zeolite. Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowship (Middle Career), 2020-2023, Queensland Government (Sole CI)
12. Green synthesis of adsorption materials from clay minerals, 2019-2020, UniQuest pathfinder (Leading CI)
13. Unlocking Queensland's bauxite ore reserves through process technology innovation. Advance Queensland Research Fellowship (Early Career), 2016-2019, Queensland Government (Sole-CI)

Teaching and Learning:

• Lecturer and Coordinator in Chemical Thermodynamics (CHEE3003), since 2021
• Lecturer in Engineering Investigation & Statistical Analysis (CHEE2010), since 2019
• ENGG7290 Engineering Placement, BE/ME course, Academic supervisor and Grader, since 2018
• Lecturer in Process Modelling and Dynamics (CHEE3007), 2018-2019

Honours And Awards

1. TMS Light Metals Subject Award - Alumina/Bauxite, 2025
2. TMS Young Leaders Professional Development Awards,2020
3. UQ Amplify Fellowship (early career and mid-career), 2019-2021, 2023-2026
4. Travel award for Universitas 21 Early Career Researcher Workshop, 2018
5. Best Alumina Paper in ICSOBA Conference, 2017
6. OZ Minerals Award for Excellent PhD thesis, 2014

Academic and Discipline service

1. Chair (2024-2026)/Vice Chair (2022-2024) of Recycling and Environmental Technologies Committee, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS)
2. Academic Representative of Joint Chemical Engineering Committee – Queensland (IChemE and Engineering Australia), 2020-
3. Secretary of Hydrometallurgy and Electrometallurgy Committee, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS), 2021-2023
4. Leading topic editor for JOM, “Reprocessing and Recycling of Tailings from Metallurgical Process”,2022; “Progress on Recovery of Critical Raw Materials, 2021”; “Advances in Process Metallurgy,2020”

Research Interests

• Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy

Precipitation, crystallisation, bioleaching, froth flotation, nanobubbles

• Chemical Engineering

Valorisation of bauxite residue and mine tailings, Zeolite, Alum, Environmental functional materials, MD Simulation