Mining Microbiome / Remediation
Hundreds of billions of tons of copper (Cu) sit idle in difficult to process mine waste sites. Novel solutions are needed to liberate this unrecovered Cu to meet the demand for manufacturing electronics and clean energy technologies, and so that mine sites can be remediated to protect the environment. Existing Cu extraction and processing methods were developed for ores as an input material. We are developing novel extraction and processing approaches that are optimized for generating Cu from mine site waste as an input. Extracting and processing Cu from mine site wastes is challenging because the concentration is lower than in starting ores and there are other contaminants present that limit the efficiency of conventional extraction processes. The proposed development of efficient and environmentally friendly Cu waste processing approaches will revolutionize how we source Cu and achieve our priorities such as environmental remediation and social good.
We will draw on expertise from diverse fields of research such as sustainable system design, bioengineering, biochemistry and environmental engineering. We expect to deliver systems that enable water and energy recycling whilst generating copper, and systems that enable significant reductions in net carbon emissions and support regeneration of biodiverse ecosystems on degraded lands. This will involve developing platform technologies which incorporate new materials that interface biological systems with components of existing systems for processing Cu leachate from diverse sources. Development of on-site systems for sustainably converting mine site waste into usable copper resources is expected to lead to new business models that support rehabilitation of degraded land and deliver value to local communities and waste processors.
