RESEARCH THEME

Environment
and water

Research programs and groups

Ecological Engineering of Mine Wastes: research group in the Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation

Environmental Geochemistry: research group in the Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation

Ecosystem Assessment, Restoration and Resilience: research group in the Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation

Water Management and Accounting: research program in the Centre for Water in the Minerals Industry

Regional Water and Land Resources: research program in the Centre for Water in the Minerals Industry

Highlight projects

Capacity Building of the Minerals Council of Australia Water Accounting Framework

SWAP: Social Water Assessment Protocol

Norfolk Island Hydrological Assessment

Water Sensitive Mining (ARC Future Fellowship)

See news and impact

UN–UQ partnership underpins new resolution on minerals sustainability

Published on: 7 April 2022

A new United Nations resolution on Environmental aspects of minerals and metals management will build on work undertaken by the United Nations Environment Programme and The University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute.
Supporting the mining industry to meet environmental targets

Published on: 11 January 2022

A University of Queensland start-up company has secured $240,000 in venture capital to further develop technology focused on the environmental management of mine sites.
New step in mineral processing could help prevent a sand sustainability crisis

Published on: 15 November 2021

Researchers from The University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute’s (SMI) and the University of Geneva (UNIGE) are investigating whether ore-sand (o-sand), an alternative construction material produced from mineral ores, could become a sustainable source of sand while significantly reducing the volume of waste produced by mining.
Sustainable solution to mining industry’s ‘red mud’ waste enters final stage of testing

Published on: 16 September 2021

Technology that could rehabilitate mine waste back to useful soil is entering full-scale trials at alumina refineries in Queensland.
Online atlas will help planning for a ‘just transition’ to low-carbon economies

Published on: 25 August 2021

Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) researcher Dr Éléonore Lèbre has secured a major research grant to produce a ‘first of its kind’ atlas of mining-impacted locations.
Plants that absorb metal could help provide a sustainable future for mining

Published on: 12 August 2021

Harvesting plants that can absorb metal from the ground may offer a sustainable solution for mining and rehabilitation according to research underway at the Sustainable Minerals Institute's Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation.
SMI researchers ready to test new technique for predicting spoil salinity in mine waste

Published on: 11 August 2021

SMI researchers are searching for partners in the Queensland coal industry to help them trial a new technique for predicting the rate at which mine waste releases salt into the environment.