Issue 11. 9 August 2010.pdf - UWA Staff - The University of Western ...

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One man’s waste is another man’s soil by Science Communication student Caris Allen Can caustic waste from mineral processing be turned into healthy soil? The processing of alumina, from bauxite rock, produces bauxite residue – a barren red mud that is difficult to dispose of. But UWA Professorial Fellow and bauxite enthusiast Dr Martin Fey is discovering a cost-effective, simple way Kikuyu grass helps turn mining waste into soil to reclaim this waste and turn it into plant-friendly soil. wa’s alumina refineries produce 20 millions tonnes of residue each year, which is disposed of at four alumina plants in WA. Dr Fey said the rehabilitation of these disposal areas was a difficult process, especially when trying to revegetate the areas. With the support of his research sponsors, Alcoa World Alumina Australia and BHP Billiton Worsley Alumina, Dr Fey and his research team are looking at ways to ameliorate the bauxite residue. It is treated in three stages, and in all stages natural acids counteract the alkalinity of the residue. In the first stage gypsum is added, which acts to lower the pH by breathing carbon dioxide into the residue. The second stage involves leaching out the excess salt and adding bacteria, which transforms fertiliser into various acids. The third stage involves growing Kikuyu grass which again breathes carbon dioxide into the system. Kikuyu grass is a relatively salt-tolerant and fast growing species that is widely grown in WA as a turf grass and a grazing pasture. As Dr Fey explains, by Dr Martin Fey pre-treating the residue and growing Kikuyu grass, it becomes more like a soil and less like a waste product. “All we are really doing is giving the bauxite residue a head start.” Dr Fey said Kikuyu grass was ideal as a first-stage rehabilitator for bauxite residue disposal areas because it produced large amounts of organic matter. In rehabilitating the land, the grass transforms the residue to become more soil-like and leads the way for planting native species directly into the site. Dr Fey believes their research has the potential to reduce the impact WA’s minerals industry has on its environment, shortening the time needed to reclaim the disposal areas. Initial results are to be presented at the World Conference of Soil Science in Brisbane this month. “Ultimately it’s about affordability and sustainability – finding efficient solutions that will have a lasting effect,” he said. Looking for fun …? Get ready for your personal diary to be filled with new friends and events. The uwa Staff Social Club will be launched next month, with a target of 1,000 members. One of the movers behind the new club, University Protocol Officer Kim Brown, said the idea came after she noticed that, at the Vice-Chancellor’s Christmas party, most staff were mixing only with their immediate colleagues. “We feel that people are not making the most of being part of a very big and very diverse group,” Kim said. The staff sports day is one of the few opportunities for staff to have fun together: the social club will change that “When staff and graduate students come from overseas or interstate, they often don’t even know the person at the end of the corridor, let alone anybody 10 UWA NEWS 9 August 2010 the University of Western Australia
Peer pressure persuades people to go green by Science Communication student Astrid Cooling It’s hard to give up the luxury of fresh towels every day when staying in a hotel. But hotels use millions of litres of water and chemicals to meet our high expectations, which translates to $1 a towel. Psychologist Elliot Wood believes guests can help bring change to the industry. Most hotel bathrooms have signs inviting guests to consider the from another building,” she said. “They are often isolated within an isolated city and we want to change that.” The Staff Social Club will be open to everybody who has a UWA staff number. “Membership will be just $1.50 a week and can be salary sacrificed from your pay each fortnight. It’s less than a cup of coffee a fortnight to be connected with hundreds of people and to have functions and events available to you at a reduced cost. Anybody can come to our events, but they will pay more than the social club members.” Kim said the club would offer different events both on- and off-campus, with a mix of family outings, cultural, sporting and social gatherings including some no-alcohol events. environment and reuse their towels. These signs are designed to change our behaviour. Dr Wood is working with the Water Corporation, experimenting with different versions of the signs to be placed in bathrooms of two big Perth hotels. Each sign will take a different angle in an attempt to influence the conservation behaviour of guests. Popular approaches include asking guests to help save the environment for future generations. Guests may also be invited to become co-operating partners of the hotel, helping them in their conservation efforts. Dr Wood explains that the wording of these messages is important. “Many, many thousands of dollars, huge amounts of energy and litres of water can be saved just by changing a sentence,” he said. So what phrasing has the biggest influence on our behaviour? Social psychology studies conducted in America have shown that the … join the club “Some people who don’t drink alcohol feel excluded from some social gatherings or they don’t want to pay a premium price for something that includes alcohol. So we will be catering for these people too.” She said Gary Ellis, general manager of the University Club, was enthusiastic about the social club. Some of their events would be held at the Club. The Faculties and the Vice-Chancellor are all supportive of the intiative and Finance and Resources is supporting an administrative officer, Toni Mison, for one day a week, to run the social club’s affairs. “We will soon have a website and we welcome suggestions from everybody,” Kim said. “We want the guilt-trip conservation message is not good enough. The most effective way to persuade guest behaviour is to use peer pressure. Guests were more likely to use their towels more than once when invited to join their fellow guests to help save the environment. Guests were told that 75 per cent of guests staying in that room had recycled their towels. Knowing the bathroom behaviours of the room’s former occupants encouraged an even higher reuse rate. Dr Wood is not surprised by these findings. “If people learn about what other people are doing, they are likely to follow,” he said. This kind of response is due to the ‘social norms theory’, the foundation of Dr Wood’s research. Social norms are the rules that people are expected to follow in society. Dr Wood hopes that the hotel towels findings will one day be used to improve the conservation behaviour of students and staff at UWA. Staff Social Club to reflect what the staff want.” Already in the pipeline are a children’s Christmas party at Claremont Showgrounds (one of many external events the social club will plug into) and a staff ball next year. “We will have regular family events, cultural events and Friday afternoon get-togethers, starting on Friday September 10.” The free launch party, which will include activities for children, will be in the Undercroft from 4.30pm on Friday September 10. Come along and find out more about what the new Staff Social Club can do for you. For more information, contact Toni Mison at toni.mison@uwa.edu.au The University of Western Australia UWA NEWS 9 August 2010 11
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