The Mine Pit Lakes – Their Characterisation and Assessment for In-Situ Metal Recovery Opportunities and Cost-effective Environmental Management study will bring greater certainty to industry and government when determining whole of life mine planning, protocols and practices.
Initiated by ChemCentre, this three-year collaborative project involves ChemCentre, CSIRO and West Australian government agencies, Department of Mines and Industry Regulation and Safety and Department of Water and Environmental Regulation. The $1 million project is funded by both the Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE) and the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA).
This study focuses on ‘in-the-field’ pit lakes and pit voids in WA that are likely to become pit lakes after mining ceases. The scientific data obtained on contemporary mine pit lakes (as a function of: variable age, location and different geological and hydro-geological settings, different associated host rock lithologies, different environmental conditions) can effectively provide a ‘time capsule’ picture of how future similar systems are likely to behave. By using ‘real world’ data the project aims to better inform and validate existing predictive geochemical models to enable confident predictions to be made decades into the future.
The project will also investigate the potential of using novel processes to recover valuable metals from pit lakes systems.
This study encompasses all mining commodities, such as coal, iron ore, precious metals and base metals.
Call for miners to join research for new mine pit lakes database
Industry and science work together for a better future
Mine Pit Lakes Study will bring certainty