Talitha Santini
Principal Research Scientist
Dr Talitha Santini is passionate about improving sustainability in the resources sector. She has led teams and contributed to innovation and development projects for major minerals companies seeking to improve their mine and tailings rehabilitation practices, develop new byproduct reuse opportunities, and decrease their water and carbon footprints, including Rio Tinto, Alcoa, BHP, AngloGold Ashanti, Newmont, and South32. Her experience spans a wide range of commodities including base metals, gold, bauxite and alumina, coal, oil sands, and critical minerals including lithium. After an accomplished 15 year academic career as an Associate Professor in Environmental Science, leading a multidisciplinary research group and the Mining Innovation Network at the University of Western Australia, she moved to a new role as Principal Research Scientist in the Refinery of the Future project at Alcoa in 2023. She is a Global Co-Chair of the Alcoa Women’s Network, and is an Adjunct Associate Professor at UWA. She is also currently completing an MBA in Minerals and Energy Management
Keynote: Zero waste - A Tailings Turning Point: Transitioning from Trash to Treasure
Tailings storage is under increasing scrutiny from government regulators and the general public as failures continue to occur at active and decommissioned mines and refineries around the world. This scrutiny will (and already has) resulted in stricter controls on where, how, when, and if tailings storage facilities may be operated.
Development of low cost, rapid strategies for remediation and reuse of tailings provides opportunities to develop new value streams and products for an operation while also supporting regulatory compliance and reduction of environmental impacts. Options exist for both active and legacy sites. Join this session to discover exciting new advances in tailings remediation R&D and explore emerging opportunities for tailings reuse.