Are microbes the future of rare element extraction from red mud? Let's uncover the newly sought process
Cultivating restorative microbial activity to remediate metal-impacted mine wastes has retained some successes, mainly using man-made wetlands or passive bioreactors to generate (microbially mediated) anoxic and sulfidic conditions.
Image Source: American Geosciences Institute
Recently, researcher trio Dr Rosie Gillane, Fernanda Soto, and Luke Webster from the University of Queensland have come up with a method of detoxifying red mud, waste material yielded by the tonne at bauxite mining sites across Australia, a report shares.
"You would not usually associate bacteria or microorganisms with mine rehabilitation," says Luke, whose PhD thesis focuses on 'synbio' mining techniques like the one he describes.
The process is known as biohydrometallurgy, in which particular proteins can be used to extract critical metals from red mud and then used over in sustainable technologies.
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