THE new Perth Bunbury Highway is helping a breakthrough in the transformation of Australia’s mining residues.
Two trials by the WA-based Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Resource Processing are using treated mineral residue for road base and nutrient filters.
The initiative is part of a technology revolution led by WA researchers to convert a wide range of mining and energy sector wastes to commercial products.
Co-operative Research chief executive Stevan Green said current programs effectively recast waste materials as useful products.
“We have made some major advances in recent years to develop the technology for converting mining and energy sector residues into potentially valuable construction and agricultural materials,” he said.
In the first trial, more than 2500 cubic metres of sand was extracted from bauxite residue and used as road base to widen Greenlands Road access to the new highway near Pinjarra.
Mr Green said the recovery of construction sand from mineral residues would have a range of potential benefits, including replacement of increasingly scarce supplies of quarry sand, reduction in the clearing of natural bushland for sand quarries and reduction in the demand for expensive waste residue containment facilities.
He said the benefits could lead to reduced costs, less energy and water use and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
In the second trial associated with the Perth-Bunbury Highway, a demonstration “nutrient trap” was installed at the side of the road.
The trap collects water run-off and removes nutrients such as phosphates and nitrates to help prevent algal blooms in surrounding waterways.
Mr Green said more than 25 million tonnes of bauxite residues were produced in WA each year.