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...

Bangladesh coal workers finish strike

More than 1,100 striking workers at Bangladesh's state-owned Barapukuria Coal Mine Co Ltd (BCMCL) have returned to work after their demand for demand higher wages and shorter hours was met. The five day strike affected coal production at the Barapukuria mine, 415 km north of the capital, Dhaka.

"All the miners have resumed work with satisfaction as their basic demand to raise wages was fulfilled," the company's CEO, Mohammad Kamruzzaman, told Reuters. "We have agreed to raise the wages of the miners by 22%," Kamruzzaman said by telephone from the coal mine site.

The coalfield produces about 2,000 t of coal a day, supplying two power plants with a total capacity of 250 MW. CMCL developed the coal field with technical assistance from Chinese coal firm China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation.

Bangladesh has six coal fields with around 2.55 Bt of reserves.