Dr Talitha Santini
Senior Lecturer in Envm Mgmnt
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
+61 7 336 56082
Steele Building (3), Room 325
Researcher biography
After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at McMaster University in 2013, Dr Talitha Santini commenced as a Lecturer in Environmental Management in Mining at the University of Queensland, where she holds a joint appointment across the School of Geography, Planning, and Environmental Management, and the Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation. Dr Santini's research focusses on the rehabilitation of mine sites, tailings, and soils impacted by mining and refining activities, as well as 'extreme' soils derived from natural processes (salinised farmlands, acid sulfate soils). Her key areas of interest include geochemistry, mineralogy, microbiology, and the overlaps between these areas (geomicrobiology). As a soil scientist, Dr Santini is interested in mine wastes and tailings as novel soil parent materials, and compares soil formation processes to those observed in natural systems to identify opportunities for improvement of current rehabilitation practices.
Journal Articles
Santini, Talitha C. and Fey, Martin V. (2018) From tailings to soil: long-term effects of amendments on progress and trajectory of soil formation and in situ remediation in bauxite residue. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 18 5: 1935-1949. doi:10.1007/s11368-017-1867-1
Wenger, Amelia S., Atkinson, Scott, Santini, Talitha, Falinski, Kim, Hutley, Nicholas, Albert, Simon, Horning, Ned, Watson, James E. M., Mumby, Peter J. and Jupiter, Stacy D. (2018) Predicting the impact of logging activities on soil erosion and water quality in steep, forested tropical islands. Environmental Research Letters, 13 4: . doi:10.1088/1748-9326/aab9eb
Santini, Talitha C. and Gagen, Emma J. (2018) The geomicrobiology of mining environments. Microbiology Australia, 39 1: 37-41. doi:10.1071/MA18010
Santini, Talitha C and Peng, Yong G (2017) Microbial Fermentation of Organic Carbon Substrates Drives Rapid pH Neutralization and Element Removal in Bauxite Residue Leachate. Environmental science & technology, 51 21: 12592-12601. doi:10.1021/acs.est.7b02844
Santini, Talitha C., Malcolm, Laura I., Tyson, Gene W. and Warren, Lesley A. (2016) PH and organic carbon dose rates control microbially driven bioremediation efficacy in alkaline bauxite residue. Environmental Science and Technology, 50 20: 11164-11173. doi:10.1021/acs.est.6b01973
Santini, Talitha C. and Banning, Natasha C. (2016) Alkaline tailings as novel soil forming substrates: reframing perspectives on mining and refining wastes. Hydrometallurgy, 164 38-47. doi:10.1016/j.hydromet.2016.04.011
Santini, Talitha C. and Fey, Martin V. (2015) Assessment of Technosol formation and in situ remediation in capped alkaline tailings. Catena, 136 17-29. doi:10.1016/j.catena.2015.08.006
Santini, Talitha C., Kerr, Janice L. and Warren, Lesley A. (2015) Microbially-driven strategies for bioremediation of bauxite residue. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 293 131-157. doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2015.03.024
Santini, Talitha C., Fey, Martin V. and Gilkes, Robert J. (2015) Experimental simulation of long term weathering in alkaline bauxite residue tailings. Metals, 5 3: 1241-1261. doi:10.3390/met5031241
Santini, Talitha C. (2015) Application of the Rietveld refinement method for quantification of mineral concentrations in bauxite residues (alumina refining tailings). International Journal of Mineral Processing, 139 1-10. doi:10.1016/j.minpro.2015.04.004
Santini, Talitha C., Warren, Lesley A. and Kendra, Kathryn E. (2015) Microbial diversity in engineered haloalkaline environments shaped by shared geochemical rrivers observed in natural analogues. Applied And Environmental Microbiology, 81 15: 5026-5036. doi:10.1128/AEM.01238-15
Santini, Talitha C. and Fey, Martin V. (2014) Fly ash as a permeable cap for tailings management: pedogenesis in bauxite residue tailings. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 15 3: 552-564. doi:10.1007/s11368-014-1038-6
Santini, Talitha C. and Fey, Martin V. (2013) Spontaneous vegetation encroachment upon bauxite residue (red mud) as an indicator and facilitator of in situ remediation processes. Environmental Science & Technology, 47 21: 12089-12096. doi:10.1021/es402924g
Santini, Talitha C., Fey, Martin V. and Smirk, Michael N. (2013) Evaluation of soil analytical methods for the characterization of alkaline Technosols: II. Amorphous constituents and carbonates. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 13 8: 1351-1359. doi:10.1007/s11368-013-0709-z
Santini, Talitha C., Fey, Martin V. and Smirk, Michael N. (2013) Evaluation of soil analytical methods for the characterization of alkaline Technosols: I. Moisture content, pH, and electrical conductivity. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 13 7: 1141-1149. doi:10.1007/s11368-013-0708-0
Couperthwaite, Sara, Han, Sujung, Santini, Talitha, Kaur, Gurkiran, Johnstone, Dean, Millar, Graeme and Frost, Ray (2013) Bauxite residue neutralisation precipitate stability in acidic environments. Environmental Chemistry, 10 6: 455-464. doi:10.1071/en13048
Santini, T. C. and Fey, M. V. (2012) Synthesis of hydrotalcite by neutralization of bauxite residue mud leachate with acidic saline drainage water. Applied Clay Science, 55 94-99. doi:10.1016/j.clay.2011.10.011
Santini, T. C., Hinz, C., Rate, A. W., Carter, C. M. and Gilkes, R. J. (2011) In situ neutralisation of uncarbonated bauxite residue mud by cross layer leaching with carbonated bauxite residue mud. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 194 119-127. doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2011.07.090
Santini, Talitha C., Degens, Brad P. and Rate, Andrew W. (2010) Organic substrates in bioremediation of acidic saline drainage waters by sulfate-reducing bacteria. Water Air and Soil Pollution, 209 1-4: 251-268. doi:10.1007/s11270-009-0196-4
Conference Papers
Santini, Talitha and Warren, L.A. (2016). Life in alumina refineries - a cross refinery study of microbial communities in bauxite residue. In: 10th Alumina Quality Workshop, Perth Australia, (). 19-24 April 2015.
Santini, Talitha and Banning, N.C. (2016). Soil formation in alkaline mine tailings and processing residues. In: 10th Alumina Quality Workshop, Perth Australia, (). 19-24 April 2015.
Santini, Talitha (2016). Application of Rietveld refinement-based methods for quantitative mineralogy in the characterization of bauxite residues. In: 10th Alumina Quality Workshop, Perth Australia, (). 19-24 April 2015.
Santini, T. C., Hinz, C., Rate, A. W., Gilkes, R. J. and Carter, C. M. (2010). In situ neutralization of bauxite residue mud('red mud') by cross layer leaching with carbonated mud. In: Geochimica Et Cosmochimica Acta. Conference on Goldschmidt 2010 - Earth, Energy, and the Environment, Knoxville TN, United States, (A909-A909). 13-18 June 2010.
Research Reports
Santini, Talitha C. and Kerr, Janice L. (2014) Microbial pathways for bioremediation of bauxite residues : Not available
Santini, Talitha C. and Warren, Lesley A. (2013) In situ remediation Stage 2: final report Perth, Australia:
Santini, Talitha (2012) Guidelines for field sampling of bauxite residues Perth, Australia: