Ecological Engineering in Mining

The Ecological Engineering in Mining research group is a multidisciplinary research team supported by disciplinary excellence in environmental molecular microbiology, soil science, environmental earth science and biogeochemistry, chemical engineering, hydrology, geomorphology, and ecosystem ecology.

In collaboration with leading mining companies, the group has been pioneering nature-based knowledge and technologies about how to initiate and accelerate the development of sustainable soil, soil-plant-systems and landforms for rehabilitating sustainable ecosystems in mined and mine waste (i.e., tailings, waste rocks, spoils) landscapes.

Its global leadership in nature-based knowledge and technology is exemplified by its successful development of microbial biotechnology to treat alkaline bauxite residue (red mud) and eco-engineer it into fertile soil capable of supporting long-term plant growth, which is ready for industry adoption.

We aim to shift the paradigm of mine waste rehabilitation from current engineering-centric into nature-based knowledge and practices, through discovering new knowledge spanning from extremophile ecology in mine wastes, environmental mineralogy and geochemistry, to soil formation and resilient soil physics and landform design. These collectively support resilient and sustainable ecosystem structure and functions in the long term

Our research investigates key microbiological, mineralogical, biogeochemical and physical factors and processes governing the development of soil-like structure and ecological functions in mine wastes (tailings, waste rocks, spoils/overburdens), as the foundation of establishing nonpolluting and sustainable landforms.

Our current priority objectives are:

To address national concern about soil shortage at mine sites limiting the progress and quality of mined land rehabilitation. The new knowledge and technologies are also extended to address the remediation of contaminated soil, land and aquatic systems.
To establish AI-tool and data-base assisted methodology for designing nature-based soil system, landforms and ecosystem structure for resilient and sustainable rehabilitation of mine waste landscapes.

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