Environmental Biotechnology of Mineral Processing

Abstract

Minerals occur in nature in an unrefined form, that is, in a state which is obviously of no industrial use. Such unrefined ores must be extracted either by deep or open cast mining and then processed ready for refining to the pure metal. Processing often includes ore crushing, while refining is usually achieved by smelting the ore at high temperature-i.e. by an extremely energy intensive process. The purified mineral is then used and may be recycled. Waste products are produced at all stages of this process and may be toxic, necessitating waste containment or preferably detoxification. Although most of these processes are currently mainly non-biological, biological systems can be employed as substitutes for conventional ore winning and processing technologies. Biotechnology can also be applied to detoxification of the waste.