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...

China's manufacturing provinces may be importing 90% of their coal needs by 2015

China's domestic coal sector may lose its competitiveness to imports by 2015, forcing state companies to buy and import increased amounts of foreign coal, UK-based consultancy Wood Mackenzie stated in a new report. It projects it will be cheaper for six provinces and municipalities that account for much of China's manufacturing to source 90% of their coal from overseas by 2015 due to the appreciation of China's currency against the US dollar and rising domestic production costs.

"By 2015, our modeled scenario shows that 857 million [metric] tons of coal could be imported into China below the 90th percentile of domestic Chinese coastal supply costs," it said.

Woodmac estimated that last year, 517 million tons of thermal coal were railed from mines in central China to ports and then sent by sea to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Fujian, Hainan and Shanghai provinces. However, labor costs in China's coal-mining sector rose 13% last year, compared with an 8% increase in Australia, Woodmac said.