Coordinator: Stéphane CHEVREL - BRGM

BioMinE will work on primary and secondary metal bearing resources from different parts of the world to advance our understanding of the fundamentals of metal recovery associated with microbial activity. A further integrated and enhanced fundamental knowledge will be applied to primary and secondary resources in Europe for metal extraction highlighted by economic, environmental and societal needs.

Based on the needs for our economy and the obligation to minimise negative environmental and social impacts, an initial series of European metal bearing target resources will be prepared in dialogue with the mining company partners and the BioMinE WP coordinators.

Following the RTD in other work packages potential impacts of the identified biotechnological processes on human welfare and on the environment will be compared to "conventional" metal recovery processes. The interaction of the technologies will be monitored and directed by integrated process-chain and life cycle environmental information, costs, and work environment (i.e. accidents, labour, health etc.) within one consistent model.

The efficiency of the assessment will benefit from an optimal two-way data communication between WP1 and WP2, WP3 and WP4 assuring a close link between advanced RTD results and the integrated evaluation to benchmark the results in their respective social, economic and environmental periphery.

The first year of the project has allowed a selection of primary resources with a special focus on Cu-polymetallic, Zn-polymetallic, and refractory Au resources

See also in BioMinE publication page ref: 
Lips 2006 - Society of Economic Geologist Conference extended abstract

Chalcopyrite
Source: BioMinE Consortium
(click to enlarge image).