The biogeochemical cycles of Ni and Co, a functional approach to ecological restoration of lateritic soils. Nickel is an essential metal for many technologies, and a key component of Australia's resource industry. Nickel exports contribute in excess of Aus$2 billion per annum to the economy. To date, most of Australia's Ni production has come from sulphide ores but the current development of large lateritic Ni operations in Western Australia will result in most production coming from lateritic N ....The biogeochemical cycles of Ni and Co, a functional approach to ecological restoration of lateritic soils. Nickel is an essential metal for many technologies, and a key component of Australia's resource industry. Nickel exports contribute in excess of Aus$2 billion per annum to the economy. To date, most of Australia's Ni production has come from sulphide ores but the current development of large lateritic Ni operations in Western Australia will result in most production coming from lateritic Ni ore. Hence increasing the research effort on ecological restoration of these large opencast mines is essential to ensure an environmentally sustainable Australia. This project will set up strategies to maintain biodiversity using geochemical and biological technologies to minimise environmental risk.Read moreRead less
Ecosystem restoration of bauxite-processing residue sand disposal areas in Western Australia: Important biogeochemical processes and effective fertilisation strategies. Alumina production is one of Australia's most important mining activities. Residue from bauxite-processing must be managed appropriately to minimise detrimental impacts on the surrounding environment. The location of Alcoa's WA Refineries in environmentally- and community- sensitive areas necessitates a detailed understanding of ....Ecosystem restoration of bauxite-processing residue sand disposal areas in Western Australia: Important biogeochemical processes and effective fertilisation strategies. Alumina production is one of Australia's most important mining activities. Residue from bauxite-processing must be managed appropriately to minimise detrimental impacts on the surrounding environment. The location of Alcoa's WA Refineries in environmentally- and community- sensitive areas necessitates a detailed understanding of residue disposal area (RDA) management. Currently little is known about the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon in the residue sand despite its importance for sustainable rehabilitation practice. Findings from this project are critical for developing improved fertilisation strategies and protocols for ecosystem restoration of RDAs, which will be applicable both in Australia and overseas. Read moreRead less
Heavy metal phytotoxicity in long-term contaminated soils: Implications for the development of Australian regulatory guidelines and realistic environmental risk assessment. Heavy metal contamination is a serious global environmental problem. There are >80,000 potentially contaminated sites in Australia alone with many of these sites in the urban environment and former mining areas. The current guidelines for phytotoxicity testing (National Environmental Protection Measure 1999) are based on tota ....Heavy metal phytotoxicity in long-term contaminated soils: Implications for the development of Australian regulatory guidelines and realistic environmental risk assessment. Heavy metal contamination is a serious global environmental problem. There are >80,000 potentially contaminated sites in Australia alone with many of these sites in the urban environment and former mining areas. The current guidelines for phytotoxicity testing (National Environmental Protection Measure 1999) are based on total metal concentrations that do not take into consideration of bioavailability and wide ranging Australian soil types. Serious concerns have been raised on the applicability of these guidelines and their protective limits in ecological risk assessment. This project aims at developing phytotoxicity guidelines applicable to a wide range of soil types common to Australia.Read moreRead less
Forest ecosystem diversity, function and service in response to perturbations: the key regulatory role of biogeochemical cycling. The natural and anthropogenic perturbations such as elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen(N) deposition, fires and land contamination have transformed much of the land surface on the earth and significantly modified terrestrial biogeochemical cycles in the past century. This project seeks to develop and apply novel nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy ....Forest ecosystem diversity, function and service in response to perturbations: the key regulatory role of biogeochemical cycling. The natural and anthropogenic perturbations such as elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen(N) deposition, fires and land contamination have transformed much of the land surface on the earth and significantly modified terrestrial biogeochemical cycles in the past century. This project seeks to develop and apply novel nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, isotopic and bio-molecular techniques to examine the key role of interactive biogeochemical cycles of carbon and major elements (N, Phosphorous) in regulating forest ecosystem responses to these perturbations. This project will result in improved mitigation and adaptation strategies for such perturbations, thereby restoring and sustaining forest ecosystems and conserving biodiversity in natural ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Novel approaches to ecologically sustainable and safe rehabilitation of gold mine tailings. Gold is a major export commodity for Australia and the gold mining industry provides employment and infrastructure for rural Australian communities. However, gold is often found in arsenopyrite rich ore bodies which, after the extraction process, have the potential to release toxic quantities of arsenic into the environment. The University of Melbourne, Stawell Gold Mines P/L. and Native Seeds P/L. are co ....Novel approaches to ecologically sustainable and safe rehabilitation of gold mine tailings. Gold is a major export commodity for Australia and the gold mining industry provides employment and infrastructure for rural Australian communities. However, gold is often found in arsenopyrite rich ore bodies which, after the extraction process, have the potential to release toxic quantities of arsenic into the environment. The University of Melbourne, Stawell Gold Mines P/L. and Native Seeds P/L. are collaborating to ensure the rehabilitation of arseniferous wastes is environmentally safe and sustainable. Research will investigate the selection of plant species, factors affecting plant survival, plant uptake of arsenic and prevention of excess movement of arsenic into the food-chain.Read moreRead less