Microbial-based technologies for extraction & recovery of metals from mine waste

The MinSouth Technical Meeting on Thursday 19 May is being run in conjuntion with Women in Mining and will be presented by Dr Ana Santos.  Ana graduated with a PhD from Bangor University in 2018 and is currently a Research Fellow in Geomicrobiology at the Natural History Museum.

Waste materials generated and disposed of at metal mine sites include low metal-grade waste rock, tailings produced by froth flotation and metal-rich overburden layers that are not suitable for processing using available technologies. Quite often, these waste material contain concentrations of critical and other metals that make them attractive for reprocessing using bioleaching and bioremediation technologies, which has the important secondary benefit that this can eliminate or greatly reduce the threat that these wastes pose to the surrounding environments. A variety of biotechnological strategies have been developed and tested worldwide for extracting and recovering metals from both solid and aqueous mine wastes. These include: (i) sulfur-enhanced oxidative bioleaching of sulfidic mine tailings; (ii) sulfur-enhanced reductive dissolution of oxidised limonitic wastes; (iii) selective recovery of transition metals from streams draining legacy and active mines. Example of these strategies will be presented as case studies.

This event is a hybrid meeting, held on-line and at IOM3, 297 Euston Road, London, NW1 3AD.  Booking is essential whether you wish to attend virtually or in person.

For more information visit the Minsouth website or contact the organising team.