Signal Industrial copper bioleaching in Chile, Zambia, Australia and Iran; 2019 ESA space biomining experiment

Summary

The report stresses that biomining is neither new nor experimental in all of its uses. Microbial copper extraction has run at industrial scale for decades, with established operations in Chile, Zambia, Australia and Iran, and it is also used to process certain gold ores. More speculative research exists as well. One strand explores applying the technique to ocean floors rich in manganese and cobalt, while another, based on a 2019 European Space Agency experiment aboard the International Space Station, suggests microbes could pull rare earths from rocks resembling those of the Moon or Mars. The report regards these ideas as far from practical use but says they show how far the field might reach. This sits within a widening interest in nickel, cobalt, rare earths and electronic waste.