Western Australia Iron Ore’s Green Technology for Oily Waste project addressed the environmental impact of soil contaminated by hydrocarbons. The previous treatment method was costly, time consuming, required a large footprint of land and could not fully eliminate environmental impacts.

The team formed a strategic partnership with leading researchers to develop a ‘biopiling’ solution that would guarantee the remediation of the soil. After successful laboratory trials, they commenced a pilot field trial at Mt Whaleback over five months.

Iron Ore is now equipped with a low-cost, scalable, green technology solution to improve its site legacy in the Pilbara and progressively reduce its future environmental footprint.

The project is a strong example of what can be achieved when science and industry work together to address challenges.