Sustainability and Waste Management in the Resource Industries

Abstract

Fundamental science and engineering research at Monash University and The University of Melbourne in Australia has enabled the alumina industry worldwide to reduce the volume of waste produced by about fifty percent. Valuable raw materials are recovered, and the risk of storage failure is eliminated. Across the mining industry, there are at least two major storage failures annually worldwide, resulting in deaths and environmental disasters. The failure in Hungary of a storage facility for bauxite residue in October 2011 resulted in eight deaths and a fine of 472 million euro ($US648 million) and the arrest of the CEO (later released). The new technique called dry disposal produces a past..