UQ Tailings Innovation Summit
OreSand Masterclass & Innovation Ecosystem Workshop: Building a circular economy through tailings reduction
17 November 2026
UQ Brisbane City
This knowledge sharing session positions OreSand at the forefront of global responses to sand
sustainability and tailings risks. Grounded in innovative research, proven
industry practice, and policy insights, the session equips decision-makers
with clear, actionable strategies to advance circularity in mining.
OreSand is a circular economy solution that reduces tailings generation while producing sustainable, low-carbon manufactured sand directly from metal ore bodies during mineral processing. By creating a valuable sand by-product, it can significantly reduce reliance on sand extracted from rivers, coastlines, and other sensitive ecosystems.
In this interactive masterclass and workshop session participants will learn why previous tailings re-purposing initiatives have struggled, how OreSand can be produced at scale, and where the greatest commercial and social value exists. Real-world case studies demonstrate pathways to transform mining by-products into long-term economic and environmental benefits.
Workshop Outline
Morning session: OreSand Masterclass
09:30am—10:00am: Welcome and introductions
10:00am—10:45am: Session 1: OreSand as a circular economy solution to two global crises
- 10:00am—10:10am: Why has tailings re-purposing failed? (Professor Daniel Franks)
- 10:10am—10:20am: The challenge of sand sustainability (Madhumitha Ardhanari)
- 10:20am—10:30am: What is OreSand and why should it be produced? (Dr Juliana Segura-Salazar)
- 10:30am—10:45am: Q&A and morning tea
- 10:45am—11:00am: Interactive group activity and discussion. solving the puzzle: How well do you know the OreSand system? This activity is designed to consolidate and test learning, and to challenge mental models related to OreSand production.
- Reflections
11:00am—12:00pm: Session 2: OreSand: How? How Much? Where?
- 11:00am—11:10am: How to produce OreSand (Dr Lulit Habte Ekubatsion)
- 11:10am—11:25am: The business case for OreSand (Dr Juan Soto-Diaz & Professor Daniel Franks)
- 11:25am—11:35am: Is there a market for OreSand? (Dr Martin Stringer)
- 11:35am—11:45am: How much OreSand can be produced? (Bioantika)
- 11:45am—12:00pm: Q&A
12:00pm—1:00pm: Lunch and networking
Afternoon session: Innovation Ecosystem workshop
1:00pm—1:15pm: Creating an innovation ecosystem: Vale-Agera case study
1:15pm—1:30pm: Group discussion
1:30pm—3:00pm: Creating value through OreSand production: A mapping exercise
3:00pm—3:30pm: Afternoon tea
3:30pm—4:15pm: Plenary discussion
4:15pm—4:45pm: Wrap-up, final reflections and closing activity
Lead Facilitator
Dr Juliana Segura-Salazar is a Senior Research Fellow at The University of Queensland's Sustainable Minerals Institute. She currently leads the OreSand Program, which transforms silicate-rich mining streams into sustainable sand products. Her research focuses on advancing circular economy solutions, resource efficiency, and the sustainable supply of minerals. Juliana has established a global network of industry, government, and research partnerships spanning Australia, Europe, and the Americas, working with various organisations, including Anglo American, Newmont, the Australian and Queensland Governments, the University of Exeter, and the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK). She is a former member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Responsible Resource Use.
Facilitators
Dr Lynda Lawson is a Senior Research Fellow at the Global Centre for Mineral Security at the Sustainable Minerals Institute in Australia. Her research interests include small scale mining, mineral supply chains for poverty reduction, and gender equity. She is also a knowledge transfer specialist and has designed and led training and train the trainer programs in the extractive industry in Africa, Asia, Australia and South America. She is especially interested in translating research into education and learning for sustainability and the protection of human and environmental rights in the extractive industries.
She is recognised as a champion of gender equity, and she has deep connections with women in mining associations across Africa. She speaks fluent French and has a particular interest in mining and development in Francophone Africa.
Madhu Ardhanari is a UQ-Exeter PhD Candidate at The University of Queensland's Sustainable Minerals Institute and University of Exeter’s Camborne School of Mines. Her research focuses on scaling sustainable sand alternatives systemically through understanding valuation systems. She is a sustainability strategist and multi-stakeholder collaboration facilitator, leading programmes around responsible recruitment, value chains and livelihoods, and decarbonisation. She is a Next Generation Foresight Practitioners Fellow and a Senior Atlantic Fellow for Social and Economic Equity with a focus on resource stewardship and just transitions.
Contributors
Bioantika