BioMore

BioMore - a EU project in the Research and Innovation Framework, Horizon 2020

New Mining Concept for Extracting Metals from Deep Ore Deposits using Biotechnology

       Project coordinator: KGHM Polska Miedz SA, Lubin, Poland

The concept is to use stimulation techniques and bioleaching for extracting metals from deep mineralized zones in a Kupferschiefer deposit (Poland) as a test case by coupling solution mining and bioleaching.

The current BioMOre project (2015-2018) focuses on the research on the intended bioleaching process. The main objective is to design and build an underground test facility at a Polish mine for testing the concept of combined stimulation and bioleaching. The test facility will comprise a 100 m² ore block, where boreholes will be drilled horizontally using standard equipment. The intention of this field experiment is to test the bioleaching process in high detail in an in-situ environment. Further reading: NATURE GEOSCIENCE | VOL 8 | MARCH 2015

The research tasks of HZDR are all conducted at laboratory scale. We test drill cores from the ore body for their permeability and leaching efficiency by flow through visualization by means of GeoPET and reactive leaching experiments. Results are mergend and compared to numerical modelling results of the reactive transport on drill core scale.

Contact:   Dr. H. Lippold, PI of partner 13: Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR)