Mining Industry

Bioleaching / Rare Earth Element Recovery (REE)

For more information call a service expert at +1 865-573-8188 or email us at [email protected].

Challenge

Rare earth elements are essential for a wide range of modern technologies but present unique challenges to the mining industry due to their scarcity, location, and difficulty of extraction.

Potential Support

Bioleaching is quickly growing as a sustainable effective form of extracting different metals and rare earth elements. This technique often proves to be more selective than traditional chemical methods, enabling the extraction of specific rare earth elements without contaminating them with other metals. Additionally, bioleaching typically has a lower environmental impact and energy consumption, and in some cases, it can be more cost-effective.

What can MI do for you?

MI's Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is used to monitor and optimize the microbial consortia that facilitate the extraction of valuable metals from ores, enhancing the efficiency of the process.

Precise assays are essential for measuring the effectiveness of bioleaching microorganisms, allowing for better control and optimization of REE recovery processes.
MI's long history and expertise in Assay Development make it a trusted partner in developing tools specific to your needs.

Outcome

Unlock new opportunities in Bioleaching and Rare Earth Element Recovery with MBTs.

Bioprospecting

For more information call a service expert at +1 865-573-8188 or email us at [email protected].

Challenge

Prospecting for new supplies of mineral resources is a complex and challenging process. Traditional exploration techniques can be expensive and time-consuming. The industry has spent an estimated 12 billion USD annually on prospecting. With premiums being placed on rarer and more difficult to extract resources, it is vital to find cost-effective ways to expand access to these materials.

Potential Support

Bioprospecting uses microorganisms associated with certain minerals and metals to help detect deposits.

CENSUS© qPCR offers targets for quantifying organisms like Shewanella spp. which have been used for the recovery of rare earth elements.

MI's Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) can be used to analyze the microbial community and look for the presence of organisms related to a specific metal or mineral.

Precise assays are essential for measuring the abundance of microorganisms, allowing for a better understanding of the likelihood of the desired mineral. MI's long history and expertise in Assay Development make it a trusted partner in developing tools specific to your needs.

What can MI do for you?

With more than three decades of experience utilizing these tools to make actionable decisions, Microbial Insights team of experts are available for project specific guidance on any of these processes.

Outcome

By integrating these molecular tools, the mining industry and governmental entities can achieve more sustainable practices, reduce environmental impacts, and enhance resource recovery.

Remediation

For more information call a service expert at +1 865-573-8188 or email us at [email protected].

Challenge

The mining industry and its outputs are pillars of modern society.  With over 25,000 mining companies and over 35,000 active mines, there is a tremendous need to provide remedial strategies that are both effective and affordable.  Over the next 10 years an estimated 1,000 mines will close, many of which will require some level of remedial work.  The remedial needs can be impacted by the mining method, mineral type, site geology, regulatory requirements and any potential land use plans.

In light of this reality, the challenge is providing the most efficient remediation strategy, to ensure that you meet any project or regulatory requirements in the least amount of time using the lowest amount of financial and other resources.

Costs

Billions of dollars are spent annually on remediation efforts related to mining operations.  These costs are associated with various cleanup strategies, compliance requirements, and monitoring.

What can MI do for you?

Our tools can help you understand the current state of your site, monitor performance or Evaluate a Transition to MNA.

CENSUS© qPCR
CENSUS© qPCR provides information on a wide array of targets that can be tailored to the needs of your specific site.

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)

MI's Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) aids in the characterization and identification of microbial communities within the impacted area. This can be used to monitor the increase in microbial biodiversity - a strong indicator that AMD remediation is occurring.

Produced Water

For more information call a service expert at +1 865-573-8188 or email us at [email protected].

Challenge

Water is an important input in many mining operations, yet the Produced Water output can create significant risks to operations and local communities, providing a potential liability for operators.

Risks include:

• Corrosion: Contaminants within the produced water can lead to corrosion if the water is reused.
• Groundwater Contamination: Produced Water can contaminate groundwater used for drinking, irrigation or industrial purposes, affecting both human health and the environment.
• Soil Contamination: Produced Water can contaminate soil, making it unsuitable for agriculture or other land uses, potentially lowering the value of post-mining operations.
• Indirect Effects: Improperly managed Produced Water can lead to regulatory, public relations and legal liability issues.

Potential Support

Bioremediation can be a useful tool for treating Produced Water. Certain microorganisms can degrade a variety of contaminants found in produced water. For example, sulfate-reducing bacteria can help prevent acid mine drainage, some bacteria can remove heavy metals from water, and other microbes can degrade organic contaminants. MI has several tools to help you understand the unique nature of your site and the Produced Water within it, allowing you to identify the most efficient strategy and then monitor its success.

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)

MI's Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) aids in the characterization and identification of microbial communities within your site and the Produced Water it generates.

CENSUS© qPCR

CENSUS© qPCR offers targets for quantifying organisms needed to help monitor your chosen strategy and ensure it is working as intended.

QuantArray© - BGC

QuantArray© - BGC offers a suite of targets to analyze biogeochemical processes including metal, nitrate, and sulfur cycling. These cycles are often important for processing produced mine water.
Precise assays are essential for measuring the abundance of microorganisms, allowing for a better understanding of the likelihood of the desired mineral. MI's long history and expertise in Assay Development make it a trusted partner in developing tools specific to your needs.

What can MI do for you?

With more than three decades of experience utilizing these tools to make actionable decisions, Microbial Insights team of experts are available for project specific guidance on any of these processes.

Outcome

By integrating these molecular tools, the mining industry and government can achieve more sustainable practices, reduce environmental impacts and enhance resource recovery.

Corrosion

For more information call a service expert at +1 865-573-8188 or email us at [email protected].

Challenge

Corrosion costs the global economy an estimated $2.5 trillion annually, approximately 3.4% of global GDP. Microbiological induced causes, contribute an estimated 20% or $500 billion of this total.

Costs

The damages that corrosion inflicts on companies, supply chains and communities are varied and can be severe.

Direct Costs: 

• Repair and replacement of asset.
• Time, attention and costs of workers handling the repairs and replacement.

Indirect Costs: 

• Loss of production.
• Environmental cleanup.
• Safety Incidents.
• Regulatory penalties.

What can MI do for you?

Whether you are proactively monitoring to identify microbial communities that may lead to corrosion before they can impact your asset or you are trying to identify the underlying cause to ensure your selected treatment strategy will solve the root cause, MI tools can help!

When trying to understand the unique microbial community within your system,  Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) can give you a comprehensive view of what is happening.

If you need to monitor a system or evaluate the performance of a selected strategy use qPCR based tools like CENSUS© qPCR, a targeted approach for well understood situations, or QuantArray©, for a more comprehensive approach.

Outcome

Making smart use of these tools can help maximize asset life, reduce unplanned downtime, maintain revenue streams, and limit unwanted liabilities.