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...

OceanaGold expects copper production at Didipio, Philippines, to commence in 2013

OceanaGold will start producing copper in concentrate from its long-delayed Didipio project in the Philippines in 2013 at 18,000 t/y,  Mick Wilkes, CEO, told Reuters. Gold production from the mine, under construction in Luzon island, will ramp up to 100,000 oz/y by the end of 2014.

Wilkes said compensation agreements were reached with local landowners, a trust fund established and sponsorship of educational scholarships.

"Didipio shows strong economics with cash costs for the first 6 years averaging negative $79/oz, net of by-product copper credits using a $3/lb copper price," he said.

Prospectors first discovered gold and copper at the mine site in the 1970s, with plans to develop a mine passing through several groups before being acquired by OceanaGold in 2006 following a merger with Climax Mining.

The company said enough exploration ground existed around the Didipio site to potentially lift annual output to 200,000 oz of gold and 30,000 t of copper.