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...

Coal India closing in on foreign coal mines

India is accelerating its program to invest in some 15-20 thermal coal mines in Australian, India and the USA, with state-owned Coal India aiming to finalise a deal in the next six months. Coal India chairman Partha Bhattacharyya said due diligence on the two best investment proposals in each country will start soon.

According to Matt Chambers in The Australian, Hancock Prospecting and Rio Tinto are among Australian miners talking to Coal India, whose domestic production already makes it the world's biggest coal producer. "Within six months we'll start closing deals," Mr Bhattacharyya was quoted as saying.

In July, Coal India called for expressions of interest from potential coalmining partners to cater to unprecedented growth in local demand. Under its 11th five-year development plan, India aims to provide all villages and houses below the poverty line with power and to boost economic growth to 10% by 2011-12.