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Ashton, Jake
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document
Biomining of critical minerals from ores and wastes: progress and prospects
Abstract
Biomining utilises the activity of microorganisms to extract (i.e., bioleach) and recover (e.g., bioprecipitate or biosorb) metals from metal-bearing materials. Bioleaching has been utilised for decades at an industrial scale to extract base metals from sulfidic ores. Similarly, biooxidation has been used to pre-treat refractory sulfidic gold ores and solubilise the sulfide matrix before cyanidation. There is also increasing interest in applying biomining to extract and recover value from various mining and metallurgical wastes (e.g., slags, tailing, sludges, and ashes) and post-consumer wastes (e.g., batteries, printed circuit boards, magnets, and light phosphors).Critical minerals are metallic or non-metallic elements essential for the functioning of our economy, modern technologies, or national security, and there is a risk that their supply chains could be disrupted. Critical minerals are used for manufacturing advanced technologies, such as banknotes, computers, mobile phones, fibre-optic cables, and semiconductors, as well as for applications in aerospace, defence, and medicine. They play a crucial role in low-emission technologies, including electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar panels, and rechargeable batteries, and some are essential for common products, such as electronics and stainless steel. The list of critical minerals varies across countries, but typical examples include high-purity alumina, antimony, beryllium, bismuth, chromium, cobalt, gallium, germanium, hafnium, indium, lithium, niobium, platinum group metals, rare earth elements, rhenium, scandium, tantalum, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, and zirconium.Biomining applications to extract specific critical minerals from ores and wastes and meet growing demands are currently being explored. Biomining is especially attractive for low-grade and complex ores and wastes, which may not be economically feasible to process through traditional metallurgical pathways and using feedstocks containing penalty elements, such as arsenic. Biomining is typically carried out at ambient pressures and relatively low temperatures, providing opportunities to reduce the energy consumption and the carbon footprint of processing ores and wastes, relative to hydrometallurgical pressure leaching and pyrometallurgical operations. Moreover, biomining can reduce the consumption of chemical reagents, further reducing operating costs and potential environmental impacts. In addition, biomining also has the potential to reduce the passivation of some minerals, thus improving value extraction and recovery. This presentation gives an overview of biomining mechanisms and microbes that can be used to extract and recover critical minerals, and engineering approaches (such as bioreactors, vats, heaps, and in situ leaching) for implementing microbial catalysts. Examples are given for some industrial scale biomining operations targeting critical minerals across the globe. Recent developments in the field and future research targets are also highlighted.