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...

Mining industry's new global aviation standard

Australian mining companies are spearheading a new global aviation standard to make flying safer for mining employees. Developed by the Melbourne office of the non-profit Flight Safety Foundation in conjunction with Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, Lihir Gold and Minerals and Metals Group, the Basic Aviation Risk (BAR) Standard will provide an industry-wide safety approach to airline operations.

Airlines contracting to do fly-in, fly-out work will benefit because they will be subject to as little as one annual audit by the resources sector rather than multiple audits by different mining companies.

"I think sometimes we forget about the aircraft with the mud on the floor mats, the working stuff ," foundation chief executive Bill Voss told Steve Creedy of The Australian. "And this is really starting to touch something important."

"For anybody who has to contract for a lot of lift in difficult conditions, this sort of risk-based standard is exactly what they need," he said.

FSF Australian regional director Paul Fox said the strength of the program was that it had been developed with people who needed it. The standard took on board all the leading thinking on risk-based safety systems and would allow audits based on a single standard, with the FSF overseeing the quality of audits and auditors.

Mr Fox said the audits would be particularly helpful in regions where regulatory oversight was an issue, such as Africa, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

"It's really going to lift the bar," he said. "The operators who fly for that sector will have to lift their game, otherwise they won't be in it."