Stabilisation of brown coal fly ash using geopolymers

This research explores geopolymer technology as a means of stabilising fly ash from power stations. By controlling the synthesis process, geopolymeric materials incorporating fly ash were synthesised. Successful stabilisation of strontium and barium was achieved, though attributed to side reactions. The geopolymer did not contribute significantly to stabilisation of fly ash.

Acid drainage, limnology and bioremediation of western Victorian coal mine lakes

Rehabilitation of Alcoa's Anglesea open cut brown coal mine to a healthy lake has many environmental challenges. The study of regional acid drainage, limnology of Wenslydale Coal Mine Lake and passive bioremediation of acid mine water has shown that a healthy lake can be created.

Multi-point and multi-level solar integration into a conventional coal-fired power plant

Solar-aided power generation (SAPG) is capable of integrating solar thermal energy into a conventional thermal power plant, at multi-points and multi-levels, to replace parts of steam extractions in the regenerative Rankine cycle. The integration assists the power plant to reduce coal (gas) consumption and pollution emission or to increase power output. The overall efficiencies of the SAPG plants with different solar replacements of extraction steam have been studied in this paper. The results indicate that the solar thermal to electricity conversion efficiencies of the SAPG system are higher than those of a solar-alone power plant with the same temperature level of solar input. The efficiency with solar input at 330 °C can be as high as 45% theoretically in a SAPG plant. Even the low-temperature solar heat at about 85 °C can be used in the SAPG system to heat the lower temperature feedwater, and the solar to electricity efficiency is nearly 10%. However, the low-temperature heat resource is very hard to be used for power generation in other types of solar power plants. Therefore, the SAPG plant is one of the most efficient ways for solar thermal power generation.

Strategic people management of coal mining firms in Central Queensland

Purpose – This paper aims to propose a conceptual framework to explore the link between strategic human resource management (SHRM) and firm performance of the coal mining companies in Central Queensland (CQ), Australia.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews literature relating to the process and issues of transforming human resource practices and industrial relations of the coal industry in Australia for the past decade. Theoretical development and empirical studies on the SHRM-performance linkage are discussed. Based on the literature review, the paper develops an integrated model for testing the relationship between SHRM and firm performance in the context of CQ's coalmines and proposes a number of research propositions.

Findings – Three perceivable outcomes are likely derived from application of this framework in the field. First, a testing of the linkage between strategic HRM and firm performance in the coal industry, using an integrated approach, would complement the empirical deficiency of treatments on the prior SHRM models. Second, data at firm level could be collected to develop a better understanding of how the adoption of strategic HRM practices in coal companies can affect firm performance. Third, the extent of flexibility practices, use of contractors and associated management practices could be identified.

Originality/value – The coal industry is central to economic development of regional Queensland. The industry contributes substantially to GDP via employment, investment and product export. An exploration of the impact of SHRM on the coal industry will likely result in identifying some best practices that could be potentially adopted in the wider business community to foster regional economic development in Australia and worldwide.

An effective heuristic for stockyard planning and machinery scheduling at a coal handling facility

Coal handling is a complex process involving different correlated and highly dependent operations such as selecting appropriate product types, planning stockpiles, scheduling stacking and reclaiming activities and managing train loads. Planning these operations manually is time consuming and can result in non-optimized schedules as future impact of decisions may not be appropriately considered. This paper addresses the operational scheduling of the continuous coal handling problem with multiple conflicting objectives. As the problem is NP-hard in nature, an effective heuristic is presented for planning stockpiles and scheduling resources to minimize delays in production and the coal age in the stockyard. A model of stockyard operations within a coal mine is described and the problem is formulated as a Bi- Objective Optimization Problem (BOOP). The algorithm efficacy is demonstrated on different real-life data scenarios. Computational results show that the solution algorithm is effective and the coal throughput is substantially impacted by the conflicting objectives. Together, the model and the proposed heuristic, can act as a decision support system for the stockyard planner to explore the effects of alternative decisions, such as balancing age and volume of stockpiles, and minimizing conflicts due to stacker and reclaimer movements.

A shareholder’s contractual right to a dividend and a company’s oppressive conduct in withholding dividend payments: Sumiseki Materials Co Ltd v Wambo Coal Pty Ltd

Traditionally, a shareholder’s expectation of receiving a dividend has been limited by the discretion the board of directors has to recommend the appropriate amount of payment as a dividend. As a general rule, shareholders will only be entitled to a dividend after the dividend is declared (normally, at the general meeting), or when the actual date arrives for the dividend to be paid. Because courts were traditionally reluctant to interfere with the internal management of companies, the remedies available to shareholders to compel a company to declare a dividend were very limited. As a result, if the directors have decided to withhold dividend payment, courts will only make an order requiring dividends to be paid under very exceptional circumstances. In this article, the authors discuss the case of Sumiseki Materials Co Ltd v Wambo Coal Pty Ltd [2013] NSWSC 235, which is exceptional for the court’s recognition of a shareholder’s contractual right to a dividend. The article analyses the court’s approach, which found that withholding dividend payments was oppressive and unfairly prejudicial conduct of the company. It also discusses the significance of shareh9olders entrenching their rights in a company’s constitution, irrespective of the fact that a company has a statutory right to alter its constitution by way of a special resolution.

Economic growth with coal, oil and renewable energy consumption in China: prospects for fuel substitution

We examine the relationship between Chinese aggregate production and consumption of three main energy commodities: coal, oil and renewable energy. Both autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) and vector error correction modeling (VECM) show that Chinese growth is led by all three energy sources. Economic growth also causes coal, oil and renewables consumption, but with negative own-price effects for coal and oil and a strong possibility of fuel substitution through positive cross-price effects. The results further show coal consumption causing pollution, while renewable energy consumption reduces emissions. No significant causation on emissions is found for oil. Hence, making coal both absolutely and relatively expensive compared to oil and renewable energy encourages shifting from coal to oil and renewable energy, thereby improving economic and environmental sustainability.

The role of technology on the dynamics of coal consumption-economic growth: new evidence from China

Coal comprises 70% of primary energy sources and 80% of electricity generation in China. This paper investigates the coal consumption-economic growth nexus in an integrated demand-supply framework over the period from 1978 to 2010. We incorporate the role of coal technology to explain the growth process. Using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag bounds testing approach, we find improvement in the coal-to-electricity efficiency indicator, a proxy for coal technology, causing almost a 35% increase in real GDP in the long run. The Toda-Yamamoto causality test indicates unidirectional causality from coal consumption to economic growth, feedback effects both for coal-to-electricity efficiency indicator to economic growth and coal demand and openness to coal consumption. For a robustness check, we forecast the validity of the causal relationships beyond the sample horizon using the generalised forecast error variance decomposition method. Our analysis suggests that improving overall efficiency in coal sector will continue to play a significant role in maintaining sustainable growth in China in the long run.

Adult education and radical habitus in an environmental campaign: learning in the coal seam gas protests in Australia

Summary: This paper examines the adult learning dimensions of protestors as they participate in a campaign to stop coal seam gas exploration in Gippsland in Central Victoria, Australia. On a global level, the imposition of coal seam gas exploration by governments and mining companies has been the trigger for movements of resistance from environmental groups. They are concerned about the impact of mining on their land, food and water supplies. In central Gippsland a group of ‘circumstantial activists’ comprised of farmers, tree changers and other local residents are campaigning against coal seam gas exploration. This unlikely coalition of environmental action groups has made effective use of a variety of community education strategies. This paper commences by outlining some of the key literature on learning and activism drawing on the education tradition of adult learning. We then draw on key concepts from Bourdieu’s writing on ‘habitus’ and ‘field’ to analyse the data from this research. We outline some of the learning practices of activists; through their involvement in this campaign, and the knowledge and skills they gain as they develop a feel for the game of protest. We argue circumstantial activists learn both formally and informally in the social environment of campaigning. Of particular interest is the role of more experienced activists from Friends of the Earth (FOE), a non-government organisation (NGO), as they pass on knowledge, experience, tactics and strategies to the novice and less experienced activists in this community campaign. We explore some of the contradictions of the protestors’ identification as activists using Bourdieu’s concepts of ‘doxa’ and ‘Ilusio’. The paper concludes by arguing learning in activism is a rich tradition of adult education and practice. However, Bourdieu’s writing on field and habitus makes an added contribution to interpreting the learning that occurs in the social space of a campaign or social movement.