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...

Coal Asia to IPO on Philippines Stock Exchange

Coal Asia Holdings, holder of the Phuilippines’ second largest coal reserves and with the potential to become the biggest producer of high-grade bituminous coal, has filed an application with the Securities and Exchange Commission to conduct an initial public offering of its shares on the Philippine Stock Exchange’s first board. later this year.

The net proceeds are earmarked to bring its Davao Oriental mine into production by 2014 and its Zamboanga Sibugay mine by 2015.

Coal Asia Holdings is the parent company of Titan Mining and Energy Corporation (TMEC) which owns mining exploration and development rights in Davao Oriental and Zamboanga Sibugay, Titan is expected to be the second largest coal producer (next to Semirara) in the country with reportedly coal assets worth P12.5 billion based on an independent valuation report prepared by Multinational Investment Bancorporation last May.

The company’s mine developments are on track with commercial production of 600,000 metric tons of high grade coal per year scheduled for the first quarter of 2014.