For this week’s Transition Thursday, a range of companies and organisations are unveiling their approaches to solving crisis and restoring land, including the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSRIO) which is converting mine tailings into geopolymer concrete.
According to CSIRO, Australia generates an estimated 620 million tonnes of mine waste per year, stored in 250 active tailings dams with an average global failure rate of around 1.8%.
Converting the mine tailings into geopolymer concrete that cuts CO2 emissions by up to 90% compared with Portland cement.
CSIRO says the same material clay potters use for delicate porcelain is the basis for geopolymers – which is a rock-solid concrete formula poised to solve one of the mining industry’s ‘most wicked problems’.
Geopolymers are considered binding agents that replace cement in concrete. Instead of using limestone heated to 1400 degrees, geopolymers use aluminosilicates – clays rich in aluminium and silicon compounds.
The potential for geopolymer concrete as a key component of a circular economy transformation can even extend beyond mine sites to the construction industry, where clay-rich subsoils excavated during earthworks – currently dumped as ‘clean fill’ – could be used for local production of geopolymers, as reported by CSIRO.
In 2014, Queensland’s West Wellcamp Airport in Toowoomba used 40,000 cubic metres of geopolymer concrete, which CSIRO notes proves the technology works at commercial scale.
Restoring land
Vital Chemical has applied more than 72 hectares of VE Char-Matt – a biodegradable, carbon-enriched hydraulic growth medium – at numerous renewable energy projects across Australia, including wind farms, solar projects, and transmission corridors.
The product combines natural fibres, seed, fertiliser, and biochar – a stable form of carbon derived from biomass – to create a protective layer that retains moisture, enhances germination, and locks carbon into the soil.
Director Paul McMullen says VE Char-Matt has become a preferred solution for developers aiming to meet community expectations for environmental care.
“Renewable energy projects are often located in challenging environments where vegetation has been cleared or disturbed during construction,” McMullen says.
“VE Char-Matt allows these areas to be stabilised, reseeded and rehabilitated quickly. It helps improve soil health and support sustainable regrowth long after the project is completed.”
McMullen adds that contractors are under mounting pressure to deliver infrastructure that matches community expectations.
“It is fast to apply, proven to perform, and contributes directly to carbon sequestration. It delivers tangible benefits for both the environment and project outcomes,” he says.
Vital Chemical’s products are now widely specified in rehabilitation programs across Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria, where they help stabilise exposed surfaces immediately after civil works and support native vegetation establishment.
Mitigating risks
Livium (ASX:LIT) has secured an Australian patent protection for its wet shredding and separation process for recycling of lithium-ion batteries until 2041.
Wet shredding is capable of materially mitigating thermal events and capturing volatile components, improving safety and operability.
By contrast, dry shredding systems can involve higher fire and thermal-runaway risk and therefore demand more stringent pack disassembly and discharge steps.
As a result, Livium says they are more commonly found in applications with high proportions of production scrap rather than end-of-life batteries.
Livium, which has a market capitalisation of $24.76 million, says intellectual property (IP) is considered a strategic asset to protect its process know-how and supports the defined Australian battery recycling roadmap.
CEO Simon Linge says the patent grant supports the company’s core focus on safe, efficient clean energy resource recovery.
“Our wet-process route underpins Envirostream’s operations and is designed to mitigate fire risk while delivering high-quality black mass for downstream refining,” Linge says.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: CSIRO & Livium
