The BioMore project - A new mining concept for extracting metals from deep ore deposits using biotechnology

Abstract

BIOMOre is an EU funded project within the Horizon 2020 funding scheme that addresses the topic “Mining of small and complex deposits and alternative mining”. This three year project, started in February 2015, comprises 23 partners located in nine different countries with five universities being included. Germany, Poland, Austria, United Kingdom, Finland, France, Sweden, Spain and South Africa are involved. The EU is highly dependent on the import of mineral and metallic raw materials and therefore supports developments that strengthen European mining of these commodities. The aim of the BIOMOre project is to develop a novel base metal mining technology that has lower environmental and social impacts and operates at a lower cost than onventional mining techniques. BIOMOre’s key concept is the coupled use of in situ leaching and bioleaching technologies applied to deep deposits. Kupferschiefer, a copper ore mined at three sites in Poland by the company KGHM, which is Europe’s largest producer of copper, has been selected to carry out a feasibility test of the technology.