Archive for September 3rd, 2007

A lot of talk about bioleaching

Monday, September 3rd, 2007

One leaching technique that I read about in journals a lot but rarely in industry press is biohydrometallurgy, or bioleaching. This is the process of using bacteria to catalyze the oxidation of minerals, usually sulphides. The technology usually comes up during conversations about sustainable mining since using bugs to leach minerals sounds more ecologically friendly than using other dangerous chemicals. (more…)