A newly developed polymer (X3) which facilitates plant growth in metal-contaminated soils has opened the way to effective, low-cost, and environmentally friendly in-situ remediation of mining and industrial waste sites. This innovative economical, environmentally safe polymer has a high metal binding efficiency which greatly mitigates the risks of leaching or dispersion into the environment. More significantly it can reduce the bioavailability of toxic metals and salinity in root zones and reduce soil penetration resistance thus facilitating root growth and allowing plant establishment on highly contaminated mine spoils that otherwise would be lethal to any vegetation.
This improvement will contribute to stable ecosystems with reduced erosion risks. The X3 polymer also acts as a temporary water reservoir delivering water to plants and enhancing their survival, a particularly useful characteristic in arid environments.The X3 technology is quite radical and has been successfully demonstrated at all stages from basic soil leaching tests to germination trials in Petri dishes, small scale pot tests and major glasshouse trials with selected grasses. At each step, the technology has met or exceeded its expectations. It enables grass to grow on previously barren mine waste rock and tailings. The grass plants are healthy and the application of X3 results in significant soil quality improvement to the point that second generation plants have been observed. Preliminary research has answered each of the initial questions of scale-up positively. Questions still to be investigated are whether X3 is a robust and sustainable technology applicable to many soil types and able to sustain permanent soil quality improvement and plant establishment in a field situation, through normal weather cycles and extremes. A long-term glasshouse trial will answer some of the questions but the technology will need to be successfully demonstrated in a field trial to establish a principal reference site.
Such trials are challenging and necessarily lengthy in order to cover natural variations and several regrowth cycles until a stable ecosystem can be confirmed. Meanwhile, X3 particle design will need to be further improved, optimised and tested to suit each specific contaminated soil condition. The benefits of X3 have been thoroughly assessed by the world-ranked mining and environmental specialists Golder Associates. It predicted that the X3 technology could be economically competitive compared to other available remediation techniques and has the potential to be effective at establishing a good vegetation cover on mining or industrial sites which in turn will result in high social acceptability. Technically, it will be logistically easy to implement, should have a lower maintenance requirement, and can be adapted to be used for many waste types. It now needs long- term investment, close partnership with the mining industry, to be demonstrated on a number of different site types to fully evaluate its use as a practical technology, and to further develop it into a proven rehabilitation tool. This is a unique opportunity for interested sponsors to invest into a promising technology at the cutting-edge of soil remediation with high potential for significant commercial, environmental and reputational benefits. The X3 innovative technology has been acknowledged by the mining industry and received the “Excellence in Environmental Management Award” at the 2011 Australia Mining Prospect Awards, and was a finalist in the 2011 Australian Innovation Challenge. It has also recently been nominated for the 2012 prestigious Australian Museum Eureka’s Environmental research award.
The opportunity: AMIRA project P1063 GRASS (Green Remediation Advancement for a Sustainable Solution) aims to provide the research, case studies and methodology required to make application of this technology on operational sites commercially feasible. It is seeking sponsors for the work which will be conducted in two phases of two and three years respectively (with a go/no-go decision at the end of the first phase).
Researchers: A team of 16 experts in complementary disciplines at two leading Australian Universities, The University of Queensland and The University of New South Wales.
Investment required: For an operating company AU$172,900 for year one and AU$142,200 for the second year of the first phase (two years); AU$169,600 for year one, AU$100,400 for year two and AU$104,300 for year three of the second phase (three years). For a supplier sponsor the sponsorship is AU$57,600 and AU$47,400 for the first phase, AU$56,500, AU$33,500 and AU$34,800 for phase two respectively.
Supplementary funding sources including government grants will be explored to cover cost of research.
Sponsor benefits: For operating companies these include preferential access to the technology, discounts on the commercial use of the patented product, the opportunity to have soil samples matched to X3 technology to test application potential, and the opportunity (one only) to provide the test site for the pilot field trial resulting in remediation at no cost.
The potential benefit to the industry and to individual companies of successful development of this technology is very significant in sight of the onerous legacy issues remaining from previous mining activity. The X3 technology is anticipated to be widely recognized and accepted as a safe, sustainable, economical, practical and less environmentally disruptive alternative to current soil remediation techniques. It will assist mining companies to reduce environmental impacts globally and enhance environmental compliance allowing relinquishing lease obligations and minimising rehabilitation costs and penalties. Sponsors, with preferential access to the technology, will benefit in the first instance.
For further information please contact: Kriba Reddy [[email protected]] Ph: +27 82 4160653