Accelerated tailings remediation with plant and microbial biotechnologies

澳大利亚氧化铝工业每年生产3200万吨铝土矿渣（氧化铝精炼尾矿），其中大部分永久储存在垃圾填埋场式尾矿储存设施中。铝土矿渣的高pH值、高盐度、缺乏植物营养物质、物性差是影响尾矿储存设施安全储存和成功关闭的主要障碍。现有的补救方法昂贵、缓慢，而且常常无效。我们将提供新的微生物和植物驱动的生物技术，以快速、经济地修复铝土矿渣。这将确保安全、可持续地关闭储存设施，并保障这一价值150亿美元的行业对澳大利亚经济的巨大贡献。

The Australian alumina industry produces 32 million tonnes of bauxite residue (alumina refining tailings) each year, most of which is stored in perpetuity in landfill-type tailings storage facilities. The high pH, high salinity, lack of plant nutrients, and poor physical properties of bauxite residue are major barriers to safe storage and successful closure of tailings storage facilities. Existing remediation approaches are expensive, slow, and often ineffective. We will deliver new microbial- and plant-driven biotechnologies for rapid, cost-effective remediation of bauxite residue. This will enable safe, sustainable closure of storage facilities, and safeguard the strong contribution of this $15 billion industry to Australia's economy.