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...

Two Australian miners strike Cambodian gold

Australian-listed OZ Minerals has reported that early work at its Mondulkiri province gold project in Cambodia has identified inferred mineral resources of 8.1 Mt of ore at grades of 2.3 g/t for 605,000 oz of gold at its interests in Okvau District. The company has drilled a total of 10,559 m at its 100% interest since 2006. It described the resource as a “foundation asset from which to build a resource base”

Earlier this month, another Australian-listed miner, Southern Gold, announced “significant” gold and silver mineralisation results from its first drill of the 2009-2010 season at its Anchor prospect in Snoul District, Kratie province.