CANADIAN TECHNOLOGY
the data needed on its biological capabilities.
Bio-markers appeared every time it was
introduced to new mineralogy and environments.
It was evolving, and now could be controlled, by
feeding it specific nutrients and catalysts along
with very specific carbon sources.
To create a successful ‘programmable’ bio-
technology like this, it took years using all kinds
of different metallurgies and combinations of
elements to understand how it reacts and
survives.
It’s described as an incredible technology that
can withstand a much wider span of the variables
(temperature, pH and oxygen) and thus stays
alive longer and increases recoveries and
remediation. It has been tested in many different
pH levels and temperatures, with no drop in
power. And if put in extreme cold, for example,
when the nutrients are cut off, it simply goes
dormant, and waits for revival.
For example, it contains biomarkers for aerobic
and anaerobic respiration, so users know when it
is running out of oxygen, and will start to change
to anaerobic. Thus, during oxidation of sulphides,
for example, when plenty of oxygen is needed for
it, the organism gives the O 2 data required to
ensure its oxidation strength.
Bio-Mine noticed biomarkers and tested the
organic acids it can produce, and they actually
bind with gold. This means a gold leaching
system can be built with this technology. Bio-
Mine says: “Imagine a single step leaching
system for gold similar to that of copper – all
environmentally safe with no tailings.”
The organism is voracious for iron; it uses it for
energy creation and reproduction, so it seeks iron
constantly. Bio-Mine now has a sensor within this
organism that tells when Fe is plentiful, so users
can know it is working on sulphides and other
iron complexes. This gives tremendous control
over current bacteria “you simply throw in and
hope they oxidise efficiently enough.
“We currently have it performing tremendous
oxidation on a very ‘clean’, non-refractory
orebody with only 1% sulphide, something the
First Generation Bacteria could never do.
“We also identified specific bio-markers for
chelation, the binding of the ligand to inorganic
metals of all kinds. We can control the metals it
looks for in chelation, which is very powerful
when targeting metals to release gold or
remediation. Chelators are very powerful in the
field of recovery and remediation, and this is
demonstrating abilities to customise chelation.”
This organism also grows quickly through
asexual reproduction throwing tiny spores out
connected to its parent, which then mature and
throw more spores. This creates a blanket effect,
or biofilm over its targets. This is very powerful
for surface area functions like oxidation of toxins.
This technology clearly has great implications
and multiple applications. As a final example, last
April Bio-Mine announced a result from a simple
nickel deposit in the Sudbury basin, and reported
“an astonishing result involving nickel as the
metal extracted. With very little food for the
organism in the samples, our team has
engineered a strain of the organism that has
released 93% of the nickel contained in the
orebody, using only the nutrients and catalysts
our team feeds them.”
Kurtis Vanwallegham, CEO for Bio-Mine
believes dynamic biotechnology “is the only
direction mining can go to realistically reach the
elusive zero footprint. It's evolution.”
Cleanup and reclamation
BGC Engineering was another #DisruptMining
semi-finalist. In partnership with LOOOK, it has
released its first 3D holographic mine
reclamation visualisation tool using revolutionary
new technology. The two have partnered to
transform communication in the mining and
geoengineering sectors using Microsoft's
HoloLens technology. They have developed a
proof of concept application that turns traditional
flat engineering drawings and data into
interactive 3D maps and immersive landscapes.
Today, most earth science engineering is
communicated using flat, 2D engineering
drawings. Being limited to two dimensions
makes it difficult to show the scale and scope of
a project.
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