A Sunshine Coast advisory firm has secured funding to develop new technology for managing tailings from mining operations, making them safer for people and the environment.
Kinetic Group Worldwide, a specialist advisor to the mining industry, recently won the third round of funding from the Advance Queensland Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP).
Kinetic chief executive officer Luke Berry says Queensland and the world will benefit from having better ways of managing mining residues.
“Our goal is to develop testing procedures and a predictive model to better deal with the challenges of removing clays and other solids from saline mine tailings,” he says.
“The technology we envisage will reduce waste treatment costs, enable greater re-use of water for further mining operations and reduce the impact of tailings on the environment and human communities.
“This Advance Queensland grant will give us access to the technical research we need to develop and commercialise the technology.”
Queensland Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy and State Minister for Small Business Leeanne Enoch praised Kinetic.
“Kinetic will use the $33,412 grant to collaborate with a PhD graduate from the University of Queensland’s School of Chemical Engineering who specialises in mineral processing,” she says.
“Together, they will develop this ground-breaking technology which will be a leap forward in terms of the way mine operators deal with waste material left over after the ore is separated.
“This is important technology for Queensland in that current methods of storing tailings are costly and can pose contamination risks to people and the environment.”
Kinetic is one of seven businesses selected for third round funding – up to $50,000 towards the cost of placing an Honours, Masters or PhD graduate to work on an innovative project with potential to drive economic growth for Queensland.
“Through this program, the State Government has committed $2 million to fund 38 graduates to work with businesses across the state,” Enoch says.
“All of the projects we are funding have been carefully selected for their potential to boost the economy and create jobs for Queenslanders.”
Advance Queensland is a $405 million suite of initiatives to transform the state’s economy, create knowledge jobs of the future and build Queensland’s reputation as a global innovation and investment destination.
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