Up for the Mining Challenge
The challenge:
Whether it’s the search for precious metals like gold and copper, or natural materials to propel the potential electric vehicle boom, the fruits of mining have always been highly prized, but it’s also an industry that grapples with environmental challenges.
Nearly 700,000 people are directly and indirectly employed by the mining industry, which contributes $161B to Canada’s GDP. According to the Mining Association of Canada, the total value of mineral and metal production has quadrupled since 2000. Even so, communities have resisted new mining developments because of the threat to their local environment. Indigenous communities are especially sensitive to this and the negative impact it can have on their way of life, and while consultation with them on resource extraction projects is critical, it’s not always done properly.
Science, however, may be able to bridge the gap.
What are we doing about it:
In an effort to reduce mining’s negative impact on the earth, water and air, Ontario Genomics has teamed up with six mining and biotech companies and University of Toronto researchers on a $6M project to discover new and better ways to extract minerals.
Since nickel is a key ingredient in EV batteries, Sudbury is the home of where this ground-breaking innovation is being tested and perfected.
How it works:
Dr. Radhakrishnan Mahadevan at the University of Toronto is leading the development of a new bioleaching process powered by engineered microbes that basically pull the nickel from mining by-products, which in this case would be pyrrhotite tailings at basin mines in Sudbury.
The nickel recovered from this upcycling production method doesn’t just cut down on mining waste by a whopping 75%, it also has a potential value of $26B as a much-needed source of metals for the production of electric vehicle batteries. Retrieving nickel this way requires far less energy than current mining practices.
While bioleaching technologies are already being used in commercial mining operations, the goal for this project is to scale-up this innovation so it can become a common tool used in the mining industry to increase efficiency and mitigate the damage to our planet.
Meet the Team:
- University of Toronto:
Radhakrishnan (Krishna) Mahadevan - Metso:
Waldemar Olivier
Funded by:
Ontario Genomics and Genome Canada, Ministry of Colleges and Universities, Metso, Glencore, Vale, MIRARCO, BacTech, Yakum and the University of Toronto.
