Accelerated tailings remediation with plant and microbial biotechnologies. The Australian alumina industry produces 32 million tonnes of bauxite residue (alumina refining tailings) each year, most of which is stored in perpetuity in landfill-type tailings storage facilities. The high pH, high salinity, lack of plant nutrients, and poor physical properties of bauxite residue are major barriers to safe storage and successful closure of tailings storage facilities. Existing remediation approaches a ....Accelerated tailings remediation with plant and microbial biotechnologies. The Australian alumina industry produces 32 million tonnes of bauxite residue (alumina refining tailings) each year, most of which is stored in perpetuity in landfill-type tailings storage facilities. The high pH, high salinity, lack of plant nutrients, and poor physical properties of bauxite residue are major barriers to safe storage and successful closure of tailings storage facilities. Existing remediation approaches are expensive, slow, and often ineffective. We will deliver new microbial- and plant-driven biotechnologies for rapid, cost-effective remediation of bauxite residue. This will enable safe, sustainable closure of storage facilities, and safeguard the strong contribution of this $15 billion industry to Australia's economy. Read moreRead less
Harnessing microbial respiration for pollutant degradation and natural gas production. This project seeks to exploit compounds produced naturally by microorganisms to develop a marketable green technology for environmental restoration and clean energy generation in Australia and abroad. Metropolitan and regional communities will benefit from improved environmental and human health and the economy will benefit from global application.
Development of an anaerobic bioprocess for hexachlorobenzene destruction. This project will develop a biological process for destruction of a 10,000 tonne hexachlorobenzene stockpile in Sydney Australia. Development of a low energy bioprocess based on recently isolated bacteria will put an end to this ongoing health, environmental and industrial legacy issue and build expertise in bioprocessing for future applications.