Three Steps to an Affordable Zero Waste Mine

This panel discussion will examine the step changes required for zero waste mining to become an affordable industry reality

About this Event

Waste minimisation and byproduct reuse is a growing challenge for the global mining industry, driven by investor, regulatory, and community pressures as well as internal corporate and industry-wide goals. Responding to this challenge requires mining companies to develop strategies and technology to reduce waste generation, energy use, and greenhouse gas emissions, and increase byproduct reuse. These strategies are being developed within a context of depleting, lower grade, and more complex reserves, and a volatile market, with social license to operate positioned as one of the biggest operational risks given recent tailings dam failures.

This panel discussion will examine the step changes required for zero waste mining to become an affordable industry reality.

Panellists include representatives from mining companies, not-for profit organisations, regulators, consultants, and research and training providers to explore zero waste mining from multiple angles.

Panellists:

• Felicia Lee Kiely - Senior Research Scientist, Alcoa
• Ian Rollins - State Manager WA, Greening Australia
• Mike Rowe - Director General, Department of Water and Environment Regulation
• Nicole Roocke - CEO, Minerals Research Institute WA
• Talitha Santini - Senior Lecturer, UWA School of Agriculture and Environment / UWA Mining Innovation Network

Speakers

Felicia Lee Kiely

Felicia Lee Kiely is a Senior Research Scientist with Alcoa World Alumina providing technical expertise to Alcoa’s global operations. She has been leading research in the re-use of Alcoa’s by-product materials and their development to commercial products over the last 10 years.

Felicia has presented at various conferences and waste forums with a focus on developing risk assessment frameworks to enable the re-use of by-product materials generated from mining and other industries. She currently leads projects in the environmental and production improvement areas of alumina refining aiming to develop technical solutions which drive returns while advancing sustainability.

Ian Rollins

Ian Rollins is the Director of Australia’s largest ecological restoration program, Greening Australia’s Great Southern Landscapes. The program aims to restore 350,000 ha of Australian land for biodiversity, carbon sequestration and farm productivity by 2030.

With over a decade of experience in the global resources sector, Ian has developed a holistic perspective on environmental value across resource supply chains, working in sustainable development, rehabilitation, closure and community programs. Ian is one of Australia’s emerging environmental leaders.

Mike Rowe

Mike Rowe is the Director General of the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation in Western Australia.

Mike has worked with the Western Australian Government in a variety of leadership, policy, advisory and delivery roles since 1993. His experience spans a number of natural resources management portfolios such as agriculture, environment and water, as well as Aboriginal affairs and central agencies including the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.

Nicole Roocke

Before joining the Minerals Research Institute in November 2018, Nicole spent the last 15 years at the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia coordinating industry input on a variety of government regulatory and policy issues and facilitating collaboration within the resources sector.

Having had responsibility for the policy portfolios economics and tax; infrastructure; environment; land access; exploration; people strategies; workplace health and safety and training enabled Nicole to develop a comprehensive understanding of the challenges being faced by the mining sector.

Talitha Santini

Dr Talitha Santini is a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Science at The University of Western Australia, and Director of the UWA Mining Innovation Network.

She has worked with numerous mining companies including Alcoa, Rio Tinto, BHP, South32, and AngloGold Ashanti over the last decade to develop and deliver rapid, low-cost strategies for tailings and wastewater remediation and reuse.

Her teaching activities are also focussed on managing and mitigating the environmental impacts of mining, through standard undergraduate and postgraduate courses as well as bespoke training packages for industry and government.