UQ mine site remediation technique recognised
MetalloTek, a company set-up by the University of Queensland (UG) to promote a novel mine rehabilitation technology, won the Excellence in Environmental Management category at the recent 2011 Australian Mining Prospect Awards.
Salinity in the waste rock used for the pot trial was extremely high. Photo shows salts rising to the surface of the unamended waste rock on the seeds.
To allow plants to grow in contaminated soil, MetalloTek developed metal-binding polymer particles that bind to toxic metal ions, reducing their concentrations, which in turn allows vegetation to prosper.
MetalloTek was set up by UQ’s main commercialisation company, UniQuest, to develop and commercialise the technology. It says the particles are cheap and easy to produce and can be used to remediate land contaminated with a wide range of toxic materials.
Dr Laurence Rossato, from UQ’s Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, is MetalloTek’s lead researcher. She said the award is a significant milestone for MetalloTek and hopes it will pave the way for a long term commercial partnership that leads to production.
MetalloTek has just completed its second field trial. Rossato says the results mirrored those of the first trial and both trials showed the particles reduce the contaminated soil’s salinity, acidity and the amount of toxic contaminants that will affect plant growth.
The second trial used polluted mine waste rock and tailings from two Queensland mines: a defunct gold/copper/silver mine and an active lead/zinc/silver mine.
MetalloTek reports that results indicated its technique is very robust, and suited to a wide range of applications – achieving success where decades of effort had delivered no establishment of plant growth.
Contact: www.metallotek.com/default.htm
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