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...

Philex Mining looking for gold and copper

Philippines-based Philex Mining Corp is exploring international mining acquisitions while bidding for a mine at the Mt. Diwalwal gold-rush area in Mindanao, Philippines. “We are taking a look at Mt. Diwalwal [but] that is not the only mining tenement [that we are interested in.] We are looking at other mining opportunities here and abroad,” Philex Mining Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan told BusinessWorld Online,

He said the group was particularly interested in metal-rich Indonesia, the world’s second-largest producer of tin and the third-largest copper producer. “[But we are just interested] in purely gold and copper because these are precious metals that we are focusing on. Even in other countries, [we are looking] more on gold and copper,” he said.

Philex Mining plans to conduct due diligence on the 8,100 ha Diwalwal mining area, notifying the bourse last week that it might submit a proposal to state-owned Philippine Mining Development Corp should the result of the study turn out to be favourable.

Philex Mining is the Philippines'largest mining company whose mining tenements include the gold-copper Padcal mine in Benguet province and the 5,184 ha Silangan gold and copper project in Surigao del Norte.