Issue Unresolved regulatory questions and benefit sharing with Global South mineral producers

Summary

The report also sets out important limits to biomining. Biological processes tend to be slower than conventional ones, laboratory results do not always carry over to industrial settings, and while the footprint can be smaller under controlled conditions it is not zero. How to manage acidic effluents and whether modified microorganisms should be used still lack clear technical, environmental and regulatory answers. Because a large share of critical minerals lies in countries of the Global South, the report argues that how benefits are shared matters as much as how the technique works. It concludes that biomining will not displace conventional mining but could become one tool within a wider strategy under growing pressure on raw materials.