Improving Mine Water Sustainability through Selective Removal of Hardness and Salts

Stretching from regional Queensland to the Western Australian Goldfields, this National Industry PhD Program partnership demonstrates how regional Australia is driving innovative solutions to some of the nation's most significant industry challenges.

This PhD project, which recently commenced, will tap into the mining and engineering capabilities of Norton Gold Fields Pty Ltd and the advanced membrane materials and environmental separation expertise of the University of Southern Queensland to explore a practical membrane-based treatment approach for the reliable reuse of high-salinity, high-hardness mine water.

The project, “Improving Mine Water Sustainability through Selective Removal of Hardness and Salts,” will combine mine-water characterisation, selective pretreatment, advanced nanofiltration membrane development, process optimisation, pilot-scale validation, and techno-economic and sustainability assessment. The goal is to reduce membrane fouling and scaling, improve water recovery, lower freshwater demand and operating costs, and strengthen the environmental performance of mining operations.

The research will be conducted by PhD candidate Mr Weifeng Jian (pictured), with academic support from Professor Lei Ge from the University of Southern Queensland, and the industry mentorship of Mr Wei L. from Norton Gold Fields Pty Ltd. With thanks to Rebecca Boddington for facilitating the arrangement. Congratulations to all involved!