The Sustainable Minerals Institute Webinar Series showcases the exciting research underway across SMI - from processing to social performance to health and safety - join us on a Tuesday for the presentation followed by Q&A with the researcher.
When looking at the future in Chile, we see that relevant drivers for the mining industry fall into the category of increased uncertainty and decreased control. These drivers include, but are not limited to professional education, sustainable innovation, and attraction of foreign investment. This webinar will focus on how the rules of the mining game are rapidly changing and which opportunities arise for the Sustainable Minerals Institute as a consequence of those changes.
Abandoned and inactive tailings storage facilities (TSFs) can pose environmental and health risks through failure or gradual release of contaminants into the atmosphere and/or water courses. This presentation will outline risk-based prioritisation options, describe the context in Chile, and then describe a study into using simplified flood models to prioritise TSFs in terms of their exposure to extreme floods.
The safety expectations by individuals, society-at-large as well as companies has matured over time, and what was acceptable in the past is no longer acceptable and will evolve further in future. In this webinar Dr Kobus de Jager will examine actions taken to improve safety in six south African mines over a 10 year period, and looks at how the approach could be adopted by other companies
The manganese and iron concretions on the sea bottom formed of concentric layers around a core, are known as manganese nodules or polymetallic nodules and are of interest in deep-ocean mining operations. In this webinar Dr Xiaodong Ma introduces his team's research into high-temperature processing of polymetallic nodules to recover valuable metals.
Dr Gerardo Castillo Guzmán and an expert panel will discuss his recently published book, Local Experiences of Mining in Peru: Social and Spatial Transformations in the Andes. The book draws extensively on field research undertaken by Gerardo in the area of Rio Tinto’s La Granja exploration copper project in the northern Peruvian Andes.
The world is experiencing rapidly evolving social and environmental changes that are impacting many areas of mine operation management and contributing to an uncertain future for the industry. This is particularly the case for water resources and tailings management. In this webinar Dr Doug Aitken outlines work undertaken in Chile to develop a roadmap to greater sustainability and resilience.
Dr Barry Noller outlines research as part of the rehabilitation of the Ranger Uranium Mine, which saw the development of water quality guideline values (WQGV) for uranium and other metals in local waterbodies to protect aquatic organisms from the effects of metal toxicity.
The last decade has seen intensifying pressure on the mining industry to demonstrate its contribution to development. In this seminar Dr Anthony Kung presents research on how companies can organise for effective social performance. The research design comprises 11 elements that together constitute a strategic review of a company's social performance function.
Assoc Prof Paul Gow discusses four new publications (DIP023-026) recently released in the Warramunga Province mineral deposit series focussing on the Rover field to the southwest of Tennant Creek, NT.
In this webinar Prof Daniel Franks introduces the concept of Development Minerals, i.e. minerals and materials that are mined, processed, manufactured and used domestically in industries such as construction, manufacturing, infrastructure and agriculture, and interrogates the relationship between minerals, development, livelihoods and poverty reduction.
When CWiMI was created in 2005, companies were under increasing pressure to disclose their environmental, economic and social impacts in corporate reports. CWiMI was asked to assist with achieving consistency in water reporting and in collaboration with the Minerals Council of Australia, developed the mining industry's Water Accounting Framework, which has now been adopted as international guideline. In this webinar, Asso Prof Claire Côte reflects on its benefits.
Sarah Mackenzie presents results from a research project entitled Participatory processes, mine closure and social transitions carried out under the Social Aspects of Mine Closure Research Consortium at UQ. The objective was to understand the potential participatory mechanisms to achieve a socially just transition and a positive social legacy.
Dr Antony van der Ent discusses his research into Hyperaccumulators - these are plants that have the ability to accumulate extremely high concentrations of metals in their shoots. Hyperaccumulator plants are known for elements such as cobalt, copper, manganese, nickel, selenium, thallium and zinc.
Dr Francisco Reyes outlines work underway at JKMRC on developing a soft sensor to overcome performance challenges facing Semi-Autogenous Grinding (SAG) mills.
Professor Rick Valenta presents the results of an analysis of the R&D priorities for minerals (excluding coal) in Queensland - a collaboration between SMI, DNRME, QRC and QEC
Associate Professor Mansour Edraki will use examples of SMI projects to discuss basic geochemical processes that we need to understand in order to predict and reduce residual risk at mine closure, with a focus on acid and metalliferous drainage, including neutral and saline drainage.
Dr Sarah Holcombe will discuss what cultural heritage is, and the ways in which methods for defining a cultural ‘site’ often determine the types of protections that are afforded.What constitutes a good practice cultural heritage management plan (CHMP), and CHM system, will also be outlined.
Associate Professor Mohsen Yahyaei discusses opportunities for enhancing the performance of process control from 5 to 10% by actively involving plant metallurgists and plant managers in designing and evaluating different levels of process control systems.
Subtitle: How do we rehabilitate colossal volumes of mine wastes more cheaply and with long-lasting outcomes?
Mining sectors and communities face ever-increasing environmental and health risks from mine wastes as a result of mining and processing precious and base metal ores. But ecological engineering of mine wastes aims to harness bio-chemical weathering and transformation of tailings minerals to alter tailings in situ, for cost-effective and sustainable outcomes.
CEO of CRC TiME, Dr Guy Boggs (The University of Western Australia), and CRC TiME Research Director Professor Anna Littleboy (SMI) walk us through the fundamental aspects of this new 10 year project.
Post-mining land use and associated economies have become a priority issue in mine lifecycle planning. Julia Keenan from the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining presents on their recent scoping project which started from the position that reconceptualising mine ‘closure’ may enhance the industry’s contribution to sustainable development.
Nikky LaBranche, Research Manager for Occupational Health & Safety and inaugural Industry Fellow in the Minerals Industry Safety and Health Centre, discusses her work in particulates and mine dust lung diseases.
Associate Professor Claire Côte, Director of SMI's Centre for Water in the Mineral Industry (CWiMI) discusses her work in Erosion and Sediment Control.
