Biomining

Biomining uses microorganisms to extract metals from ores or mine waste, usually by dissolving them into solution for later recovery.

Bioleaching: The use of microorganisms to dissolve metals from solid materials into an aqueous solution. It is the most common biomining route for extracting metals from ores.
Copper extraction: The industrial separation of copper from ores and other copper-bearing materials. Microbial leaching is widely used to recover copper from low-grade sulfide ores.
Sulfide mineral: A mineral whose structure contains sulfur bonded to one or more metals. Many biomined ores contain sulfides whose oxidation releases metals and supplies microbial energy.
Smelting: A high-temperature process that extracts metals from ores by melting and chemical reduction. It uses heat rather than microbial activity to separate metals from mineral feedstocks.
Low-grade ore: Ore containing a relatively small concentration of valuable minerals or metals. Biomining can recover metals from material that conventional high-throughput methods may not treat economically.
Biooxidation: Microbial oxidation of minerals that exposes valuable metals without dissolving those metals directly. It opens refractory gold ores so conventional processes can recover the gold.
Gold extraction: The separation of gold from ores, concentrates, or recycled materials. Biooxidation can make gold accessible in sulfide ores that resist direct cyanide treatment.
Pyrite: An iron sulfide mineral with the chemical formula FeS₂. Its oxidation can generate ferric iron and acidity that help dissolve other sulfide minerals.
Solvent extraction: A separation method that transfers a dissolved substance between immiscible liquid phases. It often recovers and concentrates metals from the solution produced by bioleaching.
Mine waste: Rock, tailings, and other discarded material produced by mining and mineral processing. Waste can become a secondary metal resource, but microbial oxidation can also mobilize contaminants.

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AcidophileNarrower topic: Acidophile-driven bioleaching is a major form of biomining.