BIORECOVER Seminar: How can microorganisms contribute to a responsible mining future? A discussion about the environmental and social impacts of bioleaching.

Context

The mining industry plays a crucial role in providing the raw materials that drive our modern world. However, traditional mining practices often come with substantial environmental and social impacts that are not to be underestimated. Environmental implications include deforestation, habitat destruction, water pollution, and significant greenhouse gas emissions while social implications can involve challenges such as labour issues and displacement of communities.

In the pursuit of transitioning towards a more responsible mining future, our BIORECOVER project turns to bioleaching, a biotechnological approach that has emerged as a promising alternative. Bioleaching employs microorganisms to extract valuable minerals. By focusing on microorganisms’ unique abilities, bioleaching offers several advantages that promise to transform the landscape of mining practices. Essentially, bioleaching offers the potential to extract minerals from deposits with lower concentrations of metal, and from mining waste streams. This is a significant advantage as it reduces the necessity for extensive mining operations, reduces hazardous waste, and addresses the challenge of diminishing ore quality. Ultimately, this approach helps reduce our reliance on traditional mining practices, while providing valuable materials for the energy transition.

Aim

Organised by the BIORECOVER project, this event “How Can Microorganisms Contribute to a Responsible Mining Future?” aims to explore the potential of bioleaching in transforming the mining sector into an environmentally responsible and socially conscious industry that address the impact of mining. The goal is to discuss with experts about the potential benefits and challenges of bioleaching for a responsible mining future.

Meet our speakers: