The Griffith Hack Chemical, Process & Materials Engineering Group is a national, multi-disciplinary team with attorneys in all offices working for local and international clients in the fields of chemical engineering, materials engineering, applied chemistry, petrochemicals, environmental engineering, mining and mining hardware, minerals processing, extractive metallurgy and materials engineering fields.

The group’s client roster includes Australian and international companies and research institutions, as well as clients referred to the company from international associates. These include a number of "blue chip" mining and resources companies.

Many of the professionals in the group have related research or industry experience. All the practitioners are well trained and experienced in intellectual property protection. This extends to expertise in the enforcement and defence of granted patents before the courts and pre-grant opposition proceedings before the Australian Patent Office. Many of the professionals have post-graduate or post-doctoral experience in research or related industry experience. All keep up with developments via professional memberships, journal subscriptions and attendance at professional conferences.

Group practitioners are trained and experienced in chemical engineering, materials engineering, applied science exploration, mining technologies, minerals processing, chemical engineering, materials engineering, hydrometallurgy, pyrometallurgy and related technologies.

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The Chemical, Process & Materials Engineering Group works with inventions in the following specific fields:

Chemical Engineering

Several of our professionals working in this area have considerable industry experience and provide assistance to clients in fields including chemical production such as polymers, resins and adhesives, food production, agrichemicals and fertilisers.

Materials Engineering

Our attorneys are experienced in fields covering a range of new technology and traditional materials, including material science, materials engineering, metallurgy, chemistry and nanotechnology. The group includes attorneys with particular expertise in inorganic materials, refractory materials, composites, glass and fibre optics, ceramics, metals and polymers. Our experience also extends to material production and manufacturing processes and material end uses.

Petrochemicals

Several group professionals have developed considerable expertise in intellectual property protection of petrochemicals, including petroleum engineering, crude oil processing and the application of petroleum by-products. These attorneys also have particular expertise in related fields, such as distillation and separation techniques, catalytic cracking and production of petroleum by-products including polymers, solvents and specialty chemicals. Additionally, they have expertise in oil and gas transfer technology, gas burning and fuel cell technology and application of petroleum products such as lubricants and agricultural oils.

Environmental Engineering

Environmental engineering is a multi-disciplinary field, combining expertise in several facets of engineering. Our group has the ability to combine knowledge and skills in the fields of chemical, civil and mining engineering, with specialist knowledge in one or several of the related areas of water and wastewater processing, materials handling, solid and semi-solid waste processing/recycling, energy generation from renewable resources or with minimisation of use of finite resources, pollution control, geotechnical and transport engineering and environmental impact assessment.

Mining and Mining Hardware

Our professionals working in this area have considerable industry experience and provide assistance to clients in fields including exploration, mine surveying, drilling and blasting, rock cutting and excavating, loading and haulage and rail systems. We are also involved with inventions in mining safety and mining hardware, such as mine roof mesh, roof bolts, drill bits, augers, pumps, valves, truck design, dragline and dredging equipment, excavating equipment and wear parts, and have expertise in other related fields, including industrial instrumentation and non-destructive testing.

Minerals Processing

Our practice covers a range of new technology and traditional minerals processing techniques, including crushing and grinding, classification, milling of ores, flotation, solid-liquid separation including gravity and cyclone separation, thickening, and filtration, drying, calcining, agglomeration, pelletising and process optimisation and control.

Extractive Metallurgy

Group experience in hydrometallurgy is extensive, including leaching (eg bioleaching, pressure leaching), solvent extraction and electrowinning, pyrometallurgy including roasting, smelting (eg flash smelting, bath smelting and shaft furnace smelting), direct reduction technology, solid state reduction of minerals, refining of metals, environmental management, waste treatment and recycling.

Materials Processing

A number of our professionals have developed considerable expertise in the field of materials analysis and characterisation, alloy design and metal forming, including casting, rolling, extrusion, forging, drawing and machining, metal fabrication, welding, failure mechanisms such as corrosion, fatigue and creep, heat treatment, surface treatment, metallography and powder metallurgy.

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