Centre for Environmental Responsibility in Mining

About the Centre for Environmental Responsibility in Mining (CERM)

The Centre for Environmental Responsibility in Mining (CERM) is a leading research hub dedicated to addressing the complex environmental and water challenges that arise across the mining lifecycle —from mineral discovery through to closure.

Established through the strategic merger of the Sustainable Minerals Institute’s Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation (CMLR) and the Centre for Water in the Minerals Industry (CWiMI), CERM integrates decades of experience and impact to drive future innovation, enhance environmental resilience, and promote sustainable mining practices.

With a strong focus on applied research, collaborative partnerships, and a proven track record in education — through Higher Degrees by Research, professional development, and bespoke training — CERM is uniquely positioned to play a critical role in advancing environmental protection and resource efficiency in the mining sector.

Our expertise

CERM’s multidisciplinary team brings together deep technical knowledge across:

Biodiversity and ecosystems
Ecological engineering of mine wastes
Bio-chemical engineering of tailings and waste rocks
Biotechnological solutions
Ecological engineering of nonpolluting and sustainable landforms
Hydrology, hydrogeology, and soil hydrology
Geochemistry and water resource engineering
Spatial science and data science
Climate science and aquatic ecology

Our focus

Integrated Rehabilitation and Closure Planning: Purpose-built to address the unique challenges of post-mining land and water management.
Applied Industry Engagement: Direct collaboration with mining companies and regulatory agencies to deliver practical, industry-relevant solutions.
Multidisciplinary Approach: A unique framework combining hydrology, geochemistry, soil science, spatial science, ecology, and climate science.
Long-Term Sustainability Planning: Prioritising solutions that ensure landscape sustainability for future generations.

CERM’s current research is shaped by the environmental and water challenges facing the mining and gas sectors. Our capabilities continually evolve to meet the changing needs of industry, government, and communities—ensuring our work remains relevant, impactful, and future-focused. We understand that many environmental and water related issues do not exist in isolation but intersect with other areas of operations and community engagement. Our research addresses these complexities with an integrated and multidisciplinary approach.

By combining technical depth with applied problem-solving, CERM delivers research that informs policy, guides best practice, and supports sustainable outcomes across diverse mining contexts.

Research themes

Water Management in Mining

Undertaking research into catchment hydrology and water quality, and their interactions with mining projects; optimising efficiency and sustainability of new water supplies; and making use of excess mine water for regional benefits. Developing tools that predict and communicate to stakeholders how surface and groundwater resources are impacted by mining, and how this may be mitigated by good mining practice. Exploring new solutions for regional water management through application of new technologies and integrated water management.

Characterisation and Control of the Geo-Environmental Risks of Mining

Prediction, prevention and control of acid and metalliferous drainage; Development of conceptual and numerical models of waste, water and gas interactions at bench-top, mesoscale and field scales; Advance monitoring systems for mine waste storage facilities including the use of drone and ground-based geophysics; Designing live covers for mine waste; Adapting water treatment to mine flows and characteristics; Targeted recovery of metals and rare earths elements from acid and metalliferous drainage.

Mine Rehabilitation and Closure Strategies

Developing and implementing scientifically backed rehabilitation techniques for post-mining landscapes, focusing on erosion control, re-vegetation, landform design, and ecosystem restoration. These efforts aim to meet regulatory requirements, enhance biodiversity, improve soil stability, and ensure sustainable post-mining land use that supports long-term environmental resilience and minimal ecological disruption.
Exploring innovations in post-mining land uses, such as renewable energy or the production of biofuel and animal food from selected tree species.

Remote Sensing and Monitoring for Environmental Assessment

Integrating satellite imagery, drone surveys, geophysical tools, and ground validation techniques to monitor environmental changes in mining areas. This research enhances predictive models for landscape evolution, erosion risks, and vegetation recovery while supporting real-time monitoring of mine waste, water resources, and rehabilitation progress for improved environmental decision-making

Phytomining and Bioremediation

Utilising hyperaccumulator plants, algae, and microbial biotechnology to extract valuable metals, detoxify contaminated soils, and restore degraded mining lands. This research advances techniques for nickel and cobalt phytomining, soil stabilisation, and water purification, promoting cost-effective, nature-based solutions for rehabilitating mine-impacted environments while supporting metal recovery.

Ecological Engineering

To develop nature-based methodology and technology, for assisting the world's mining industry to meet the global tailings challenge. Combining skills in soil/geo-microbial ecology, environmental mineralogy, bioweathering of minerals, native plant rhizosphere (micro)biology, soil-plant relations, and environmental materials (such as biochar and environmental geopolymers), the research pioneer’s transformative practices for the rehabilitation of mine wastes (e.g., tailings, acidic and metalliferous waste rocks).

Climate Adaptation and Resilience in Mining

Creating new knowledge of how future climate scenarios translate to physical hazards and risks to Australia’s mining industry, and developing climate-resilient strategic and operational plans, covering risks related to erosion, acid and metalliferous drainage, flooding and heat.

See more on CERM's research

Centre Director

Professor Longbin Huang (Acting Director)
View Longbin Huang's research profile

Leadership

Professor Mansour Edraki
View Mansour Edraki’s research profile

Professor Claire Cote

View Claire Cote’s research profile

Professor Neil McIntyre
View Neil McIntyre’s research profile

Associate Professor Barry Noller
View Barry Noller's profile

Dr Robynne Chrystal
View Robynne Chrystal's research profile

See the Centre for Environmental Responsibility in Mining's full list of staff and students

CERM’s suite of courses and short courses offer professional development for environmental personnel working on mine sites, environmental consultants, government regulators, policy makers, and other scientists and water resources engineers working with the mining industry. Courses are targeted at professionals with less than 10 years' experience.

Mine Water Management Program

Courses

Mine Water Fundamentals
Mine Water Systems
Soil Erosion and Sediment Control, Tailings and Residue

Short courses

Water Accounting for Mine Sites
Water Quality Assessment for Mine Sites

Acid and Metalliferous Drainage

Introduction to Acid and Metalliferous Drainage

View our available professional development courses

We can also work directly with organisations to create bespoke training tailored to the specific organisational goals. For more information, please contact Dr Louisa Rochford, email: louisa.rochford@uq.edu.au

The Centre for Environmental Responsibility in Mining (CERM) provides opportunities for students wanting to enrol in an Honours, Master of Philosophy (MPhil) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program.

Our Centre has an environmental focus and the research topics available relate to the sustainable management of water resources in the mining and energy sectors. Our research topics address current industry questions across multiple fields.

Under the guidance of our academic researchers, students can make significant contributions to sustainability in mining specialising in water resources.

See more on SMI’s Higher Degree by Research webpage

The Centre has a range of in-house facilities to support research and postgraduate teaching. This includes:

Soil and water laboratory
Ecology laboratory
Sample preparation laboratory
Geohydrology laboratory
Herbarium
Mine site-compliant vehicle fleet
Field research equipment

Staff and students also have access to a range of analytical and microscopy services and glasshouse facilities within The University of Queensland, St Lucia campus.

Remotely Piloted Aircraft

Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technologies, the Centre can determine the extent of erosion and vegetative cover across an entire site, or selected problematic areas.

Outcomes include:

Collection of RPA imagery with >80% overlap provides enough information for the generation of digital surface models (DSM). These DSM’s can be utilised by rehabilitation managers to measure landform metrics such as slope, elevation and problem areas such as erosion gullies.
A thematic vegetation coverage map may also be produced to provide spatial distribution of tree, shrub and grass cover and identify areas which are failing or developing well.

Monitoring in this manner is designed to inform management decisions in order to achieve rehabilitation outcomes that are safe, stable, self-sustaining and suited to target closure criteria in the most efficient manner possible.

Online Herbarium

The Online Herbarium was developed in collaboration with Silver Biology and the former Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation (CMLR), now part of the Centre for Environmental Responsibility in Mining (CERM). It supports research into land rehabilitation and the ecological impacts of mining by providing a robust plant identification resource—especially valuable in regions with limited access to traditional identification tools.

Many of our projects rely on accurate plant identification, ranging from basic to advanced, as a foundational step in understanding and restoring disturbed landscapes. The Herbarium offers query-based filtering and dynamic, high-resolution imagery to assist staff, students, and the public, serving as both an alternative and complement to conventional plant identification methods.

Aims

Build comprehensive site collections for long-term research projects
Develop representative collections for selected mine sites in NSW and QLD
Curate research-appropriate specimens from other regions
Demonstrate a low-cost, virtual herbarium model with advanced features aligned with Australian and global online herbarium initiatives

Since its inception in 1993, CMLR researchers have collected plant specimens across numerous mine sites in Queensland and New South Wales, often validated in collaboration with botanists from the Queensland Herbarium and the National Herbarium of New South Wales.

Previously stored in traditional naphthalene-infused boxes and folders, these specimens had limited accessibility. Advances in high-resolution imaging and database technology have now enabled the digitisation of this valuable collection, making it easier to access and use for research and education.

Visit the online herbarium