The International Biohydrometallurgy Symposium will be held in Australia for the first time in over two decades. Australian Mining looks at what attendees can expect.
As Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO has spent decades supporting the mining and resources industry through research. Hosting the International Biohydrometallurgy Symposium (IBS) 2022 is one of the many ways it provides this support.
To be held in Perth and online November 20–23, this global forum brings together representatives from industry, research, innovation and education sectors, as well as government, to share knowledge in the field of mining biotechnology.
“Attendees to the conference can look forward to learning about cutting-edge science and technology in the field of mining biotechnology, innovative solutions, and best practice approaches,” Kaksonen told Australian Mining.
“They can also connect to experts in the field across the world and find new research partners.”
Drawing from expertise in chemistry, mineralogy and engineering, mining biotechnology can benefit the resource sector by enabling the extraction of value from low-grade minerals and waste streams.
“In a mining context, organisms such as bacteria can be used as natural catalysts to extract value from low-grade ores and wastes,” Kaksonen said.
“Microbes can replace high temperatures, pressures, or harmful chemicals that are often used in mining and can treat effluents and remediate mine sites.”
Microbes can remove many inorganic and organic contaminants from acid mine drainage and metallurgical process effluents. They can also be used to recover valuable elements from waste streams.
“We’re familiar with the use of microbes in brewing beer or making yoghurt but, in a mining context, microbes can be used in countless ways,” Kaksonen said.
This year will mark the 24th IBS in the conference series and, after long delays stemming from the COVID pandemic, the biomining community is eager to get together again.
IBS 2022 is an ideal setting to learn about innovative solutions for various challenges in the mining industry. Some of these challenges include pre-treatment of complex ores, value extraction and recovery, mine waste stabilisation and mine site remediation.
Biotechnology can help to address many of these issues.
IBS 2022 will see a host of keynote, plenary and technical speakers, as well as poster presentations, come together to discuss seven main themes:
Bioleaching of metals from low-grade ores and concentrates
Biotechnical pre-treatment of ores and concentrates
Biomining of wastes, industrial ecology, and circular economy
Biotechnical treatment and resource recovery from mine and process waters
Biostabilisation, bioremediation and ecological restoration
Biomining microbiology, molecular biology, systems biology, and synthetic biology
Biological mineral formation and minerals exploration, biogeochemistry, and biosensors.
The themes will cover research on how biotechnology can help mining companies extract more value from resources and waste and extend the life of a mine.
“It’s going to be great to explore more opportunities in value recovery from waste,” Kaksonen said. “It’s important that waste be used for beneficial purposes and, if that’s not possible, how it can be secured safety.”
Attendees can look forward to hearing from an array of global experts, including Professor Sue Harrison (University of Cape Town, South Africa), Sabrina Hedrich (Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg, Germany), Päivi Kinnunen (Technical Research Centre of Finland), Naoko Okibe (Kyushu University, Japan), Mario Vera (Pontifical Catholic University of Chile), and Axel Schippers (Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, Germany).
The presentations will cover research conducted on each of the conference themes, and provide examples on the various ways that biotechnology and microbes can benefit the mining sector, reduce environmental impacts and make the industry more sustainable.
This will be the first year the IBS is held in a hybrid format – face-to-face in Perth and online – making the conference more accessible to a broader range of people across the globe and providing a more robust conversation around the issues and opportunities.
“We welcome you to attend IBS 2022, hear about the latest scientific advances and find solutions for industry challenges” Kaksonen said.
“I think people will be surprised at how versatile microbes are and how much they can do to benefit the mining industry.”
This feature appeared in the November issue of Australian Mining.