Publication: CSIROscope
Biomaterials are the business
By Kylie Williams Petrochemicals are, like, so last century. Biodegradable, bioderived biomaterials are all the rage, and for good reason too. Products like plastics, paints, adhesives and lubricants are mostly derived from dwindling supplies of petroleum, an increasingly costly finite resource. With pressure mounting to reduce our dependence on petroleum products, CSIRO is leading the... Read more »
Publication: CIM Magazine
Less is more
The retrofit at Rio Tinto’s Kitimat operation has the smelter producing more without an increased footprint In 2011, Rio Tinto announced plans to modernize the 60-year-old Kitimat Aluminum Smelter in north-central British Columbia. Four years and $ 6 billion later, construction of the new smelter was complete. The plant has been operating at full capacity... Read more »
Publication: Mineral Exploration
Artisanal Mining Explored
By Kylie Williams El Alacran gold mine is nestled in the jungle-covered hills of northern Colombia. The name means “the scorpion” in Spanish, and is a cluster of over 140 informal mining sites, intermingled with the homes of the 195 traditional mining families who operate them. For 40 years, these men, women and children have been extracting ore using rudimentary tools and equipment,... Read more »
Publication: RiAus Blog: Everyday Science
From My Toilet To The Gold Mine
By Kylie Williams Flush the toilet in Bathurst and your effluent may soon be recycled for use at a new gold mine near Orange. While the mine would be a boon for central New South Wales by providing new employment and flow-on benefits to local businesses, securing a water supply for the thirsty mine is... Read more »
Publication: Innovation
Mercury Rising: Artisanal Mining in Developing Countries … a Global Pollution Problem
Many Canadian engineers and geoscientists who visit projects in developing countries see evidence of artisanal mining—people panning barefoot in a muddy stream, a hillside pockmarked with holes and tunnels, or rudimentary processing plants belching toxic fumes into the air. These isolated sightings under-represent the global scale of the problem. More than 30 million people worldwide are artisanal miners. Half are artisanal gold miners,... Read more »
Publication: BC Oil and Gas Report
Strength in Numbers
First Nations across British Columbia are partnering with the provincial government, natural gas companies and each other to support, monitor, and reap the benefits of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) development projects. As of June 2015, the B.C. Government had signed 15 Natural Gas Pipeline Benefits Agreements with 11 First Nations. Numerous benefit agreements between gas companies and First Nations have also been finalized. Each agreement is unique... Read more »
Publication: PotashWorks 2017
Saskatchewan potash industry prepared for growth in 2017
By Kylie Williams Saskatchewan produced a record 18.2 million tonnes of potassium chloride in 2015, with a value of $6.1 billion dollars. As the world’s largest potash producer, the province is hopeful that the low potash prices of recent years, due to over-supply and lower-than-expected demand, have reached their lowest point. In August 2016 the price of potash was $220 USD/metric tonne (mt)... Read more »
Publication: Canadian Mining and Energy
Bob Joseph on resources, respect and relationships with Aboriginal Peoples
Bob Joseph’s courses have helped governments and businesses build respectful working relationships with Aboriginal Peoples. The son of a hereditary chief, Bob Joseph is a master trainer in indigenous and aboriginal relations. Over the past 20 years, his courses have helped governments and businesses build respectful working relationships with Aboriginal Peoples in Canada and around... Read more »
Publication: Ontario Mining Review Fall 2016
Tiny creatures making a big splash in Ontario mines
By Kylie Williams Stored in the basement of a building at the University of Guelph is an unusual library. As of late June 2016, it contained five million snippets of DNA or “barcodes” for 550,000 unique species – the first and largest collection of DNA barcodes in the world. Ontario is the birthplace of DNA barcoding. Dr. Paul Hebert, director of... Read more »