SRCR '09 Day 1 Morning Session

The conference commenced on time, and I welcomed our 49 delegates from Australia, Brazil, China, Finland, Germany, Iran, Japan, Korea, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa and UK. Our consultant Markus Reuter, of Ausmelt, then summarised the need for scientists from disparate disciplines to come together at meetings such as this to discuss the pressing problems of sustainability that affect us all.

The first 4 papers were by Australian authors, Prof. Geoff Evans discussing the future demand-supply interaction for the global platinum industry, followed by two papers by Jim Petrie of the University of Sydney on the challenges and needs for mineral carbonisation for energy intensive minerals conversion. Finally, before the coffee break, Stevan Green of the Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Resource Processing discussed the incorporation of sustainable development into minerals processing design and operation.

After a shortened coffee break, due to extended question times after the first papers, Johannes Gediga of PE International, Germany, looked at the costs of implementation of greenhouse gas reduction in the mining industry. Jennifer Broadhurst of the University of Cape Town discussed the environmental risks associated with solid mineral wastes. Cerys Ponting of Cardiff University examined the practical implementation of WEEE obligations in the UK, and the morning finished with Jane Hope of Plymouth College of Art & Design, UK, posing the question 'is gold really that precious- what is the true cost of jewellery?'