In 2021, McCullough Robertson Lawyers, through the McCullough Robertson Foundation, committed $100,000 to establish and support the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Michael Roche Scholarship (Scholarship). The Scholarship drives innovation in the areas of environment, sustainability, or climate change within the resources and renewables industry, by supporting insightful leadership and creative vision in originating concepts that will bring invaluable benefits to Queensland and beyond.

The Scholarship honours the substantial contribution of the late Michael Roche to Queensland’s resources and renewables industry. A former QRC Chief Executive, and Honorary QRC lifetime member, Michael was a passionate and vocal advocate for the state’s resources industry. Widely respected for his fearless determination and professionalism, Michael was a senior executive at the ASX and a former Chief of Staff to Labor Treasurer Keith de Lacy in Wayne Goss’ Government. Michael held several board appointments, including Mine Super, Multicap and the WorkCover Risk and Audit Committee, and we had the great privilege of working alongside him as a Strategic Adviser at the firm. Michael’s bold and unwavering commitment and advocacy garnered industry-wide respect, and it is appropriate that through the Scholarship, he will continue to inspire future leaders in the resources and renewables industry.

QUT will award an annual $20,000 Scholarship prize to five postgraduate students or research staff members across disciplines of Science, Engineering, Business, Health, Law, Education, or Creative Industries, who demonstrate a passion for thought leadership within the industry, a commitment to the natural environment, sustainability, or climate change, and who are seeking to contribute innovative solutions within the industry. It is an honour to provide this opportunity to each Scholarship recipient, and to pay tribute to the legacy of an esteemed colleague who gave so much to Queensland.

We are committed to creating opportunities for innovation and meaningful partnerships that last well into the future. Our aim is for the Scholarship to become synonymous with accelerating the career trajectory of the recipients, together with supporting the advancement of the industry.

Congratulations to Sofia Faershtein, PhD Candidate, QUT

Sofia Faershtein is the second recipient of the Scholarship. A metallurgical engineer by trade, Sofia has worked internationally in wind turbine parts production for wind farms around the world. Today, Sofia is undertaking graduate research on metallurgical waste recycling at QUT’s School of Mechanical, Medical & Process Engineering.

Sofia’s PhD project is Value Adding Alumina Waste: Development of Green Polymer Encapsulated Red Mud Composites for Road Construction & Maintenance, and concerns recycling red mud as a road repair material. This aligns with QUT’s priority study area of developing new, sustainable solutions for industry.

Red mud, also known as bauxite residue, is classified as a toxic waste due to its highly alkaline nature and the presence of heavy metals. For every tonne of alumina made, 1.5 to 2 tonnes of red mud are produced. Consequently, each year approximately 150 million tonnes of red mud is created.

This red mud is currently stockpiled, which represents not only a potential environmental hazard but also involves the loss of 20 million tonnes of iron, which could be used more constructively. At the same time, governments are experiencing financial difficulties in maintaining road networks, and current technical solutions involve the use of asphalt (a fossil fuel). Therefore, developing new methods to utilise red mud at large scale can be a turning point for both the mining industry and governments around the world.

Sofia’s research aims to create red mud/polymer composites which can be employed to fix potholes, be integrated into road base, or form decorative panels for pavements. Currently, there is limited knowledge of the production of red mud/polymer composites with optimal applicational properties, with the pathway to industrial application not investigated in detail. Therefore, Sofia’s research aims to understand how fabrication techniques and differences in starting materials will affect the resultant properties of the composite material.

Success in this research will lead to:

  • significant change in the mining responsible waste management procedure;
  • superior materials for the road construction industry;
  • substantial reductions in cost to councils who are responsible for road repair; and
  • reduced environmental hazard posed by red mud storage.

The Scholarship funds will support and facilitate the sharing of knowledge between QUT and industry through site visits to alumina refineries, along with attending conferences and symposiums in Australia and internationally. Sofia will also be engaging with industry and academic contacts to gain feedback from experts in the field, develop confidence in the research, and enhance project results.

If you would like to contact Sofia to discuss this further and to learn more about her project, please contact us.

Congratulations, Sofia. We look forward to hearing how this research develops.

This is an article from our 2024 Edition of Emerging Issues for the Australian Energy and Resources Industry. To read more from this publication, click here.