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...

Mongolia Energy to deliver first coal to Bayi Steel

Hong Kong-listed Mongolia Energy Corp will deliver its first coking coal shipment this August.The company's Khushuut project in western Mongolia will supply quality coal to China's steel industry in Xinjiang Province, with Bayi Steel, a unit of China's largest steelmaker Baosteel Group, as its first customer.

Khushuut is an open-pit mine in Khovd province and MEC has appointed Leighton Holdings as its contractor. The company has also been building a 340 km road linking the Khushuut mining area to the Mongolia-China border, which is about 550 km to Urumqi, the provincial capital of Xinjiang.

MEC aims to sell its coking coal at an FOB price of $120/t versus a production cost of about $35/t. Including transportation, its coal may sell at roughly $165/t.