Algae and mining: A new frontier in sustainable site rehabilitation

Algae might seem an unlikely candidate to help transform Australia’s post-mining landscapes, but a new CSIRO -led project suggests these tiny aquatic organisms could provide sustainable futures for mine sites, surrounding ecosystems, and local communities. Looking down the microscope at the microalgae Nannochloropsis Australia’s mining sector is approaching a crossroads—where economic legacy and environmental responsibility must find common ground. A new CSIRO -led study, supported by the Cooperative Research Centre for Transformations in Mining Economies (CRC TiME), suggests that one of the most promising bridges between these imperatives may come from an unexpected source: algae. Though small in stature, algae are emerging as giants in their potential to transform post-mining landscapes. The study, developed in partnership with the University of Queensland and Murdoch University , proposes that algae-based technologies could reduce mining’s environmental footprint while seeding new...

Indonesian copper and gold output expected to fall in 2011-2012

Indonesia’s 2011 and 2012 copper and gold production is expected to fall by an average of 30% because mine site expansion by PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara will temporarily reduce production capacity at the Batu Hijau mine in West Nusa Tenggara province.

Rubi W. Purnomo, Newmont’s spokesman for operations in Indonesia, told The Jakarta Post that PT NNT will actually mine more tons of material in 2011. "However, copper and gold production will decrease in 2011, because the ore material has different characteristics from that mined in 2010,” he said.

As of September 2009, gold sales from the Batu Hijau mine were 381,000 ounces, up from 185,000 ounces in the same period in 2008. Consolidated copper sales reached 342 million pounds, up from 201 million pounds in the comparable period in 2008.