KCB secures funding for the Australian Government’s Innovation Connections program to support our tailings research

July 21, 2017

One of KCB’s core services is effective mine waste management. However, the understanding of the relationship between the geotechnical, hydrological and geochemical evolution of mine wastes is in its infancy; this can lead to significant mining legacies. KCB has been collaborating with several institutions to increase the knowledge base of effective mine waste management, and we have been fortunate to be able to secure support from the Australian Government’s Innovation Connections program to increase the size of our collaborative research with the University of Queensland (UQ).

The Innovation Connections Program aims to encourage and assist small and medium businesses to access knowledge, engage with researchers and foster innovation. Support includes up to $50,000 in matched funding for collaborative research between industry (companies like KCB) and universities to improve the understanding of relevant technical disciplines.

While KCB is at the forefront mine waste management, KCB staff in Australia have identified an opportunity to work with researchers at the UQ’s Sustainable Minerals Institute to obtain greater insights on the effective disposal of red mud tailings from the production of bauxite. This project aims to support the development of a modelling approach that will identify controlling factors that would lead to optimisation of scheduling red mud deposition cycles.