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...

India's NTPC to import 14Mt of coal during 2010/11

India's top power utility, NTPC Ltd, is expected to import 14 Mt of coal in the coming financial year 2010/11. "This financial year our target was to import 12.5 Mt, out of which we have imported only 5-6 Mt so far," R.S. Sharma, chairman of NTPC, told Reuters.

The 14 Mt target for the next fiscal year will include a spillover of 8-9 Mt from some of the orders placed in the current financial year, Sharma added. India's coal requirement is growing on the back of the power sector that is seeing expansions year on year owing to a 12.6% power deficit.