Biohydrometallurgy Network

The MEI Biohydrometallurgy 2012 conference is fast approaching. It will be held on the 18th-20th June in Falmouth (UK).

Biohydromet ’12 will focus on the latest developments in the field of biohydrometallurgy: the development, optimisation and application of integrated biomining process operations for mineral ores, including low grade and complex ores; the microbiology of biomining and the application of biohydrometallurgy to novel resources (such as mine and electronic wastes) and the (bio)remediation of mining-impacted environments.

Themes of Biohydromet ’12

Biohydromet ’12 will focus on the latest developments in the field of biohydrometallurgy: the development, optimisation and application of integrated biomining process operations for mineral ores, including low grade and complex ores; the microbiology of biomining and the application of biohydrometallurgy to novel resources (such as mine and electronic wastes) and the (bio)remediation of mining-impacted environments.

1. Biomining Process Development:

• Development and optimisation of biohydrometallurgy processes, including sub-processes of biohydrometallurgy, reactor systems, hydrodynamics and modeling
• Associated Unit operations, Up- and Downstream processing (including waste management) etc.

2. The Microbiology of Biomining:

• Microbial ecology and succession, both description and kinetics
• Microbial consortia and bioprospecting,
• Certain fundamental aspects.

3. Biohydrometallurgy Applications:

• Biomining (i.e. Bioleaching, Biooxidation) applications – both heap and tank
• Novel and potential resources (e.g. electronic and other metallic wastes)
• Bioremediation applications (e.g. the treatment, prevention and prediction of AMD, metal recovery from wastes etc.)
• Other biotechnologies in mining and metallurgical industries.

There will be three Keynote Lectures:

Sue Harrison

The first keynote lecture “Microbial attachment, colonisation and activity as key steps in establishing the desired microbial community for attaining a well functioning heap” will be presented by Prof Sue Harrison, of the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Marja Riekkola-Vanhanen

The second keynote lecture “Talvivaara Nickel Mine ­ from a project to a mine” will be presented by Marja Riekkola-Vanhanen, who is the Senior Technology Adviser for the Talvivaara Mining Company, Finland. Marja has had much experience in the bioleaching of base metals in heaps and reactors, biological treatment of acid mine drainage and industrial waste waters, mining related environmental issues, best available techniques in non-ferrous metals industry and development of metal extraction processes.

Paul Norris

The third keynote lecture “High Temperature Bioleaching” will be given by Dr. Paul Norris, of the University of Warwick, UK. His main research interest since the mid 1970s has been the microbiology of mineral sulfide oxidation by acidophilic microorganisms.

Biohydromet ’12 is organised by MEI in consultation with with Prof Sue Harrison, Dr Patrick d’Hugues and Dr Chris Bryan.

Sue Harrison has some 20 years experience in research in bioprocess engineering, gained in the industrial and academic arenas. She heads the Centre for Bioprocess Engineering Research (CeBER) at the University of Cape Town (South Africa) and collaborates actively with researchers at the universities of Mumbai, Cambridge University and Imperial College London and with companies in South Africa and abroad. Since her appointment to the academic staff in 1991 more than 40 MSc and PhD students have been awarded research degrees under her supervision. She was awarded the South African DST Research Chair in Bioprocess Engineering, with effect from 2008.

Patrick d’Hugues is a microbiologist with a PhD in industrial and applied microbiology. He is currently manages a research team on Waste and Raw Materials at BRGM, the French Geological Survey. Over the last 15 years he has worked on R&D projects dedicated to biotechnology applications on mineral resources and for the environment. He was involved as a technical expert during the commissioning of the KCCL cobalt bioleaching plant (Uganda), and has been involved as a project manager coordinating the EU-funded FP6 Bioshale project (2004-2008). He is currently a project manager of a workpackage on ecoefficient production methods in the FP7 Promine project.

Chris Bryan is a microbiologist with a PhD in molecular and environmental microbiology and is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at Curtin University (Australia). His primary research focus is on the application of biohydrometallurgy to the recovery of metals from sulfide ores and the genesis of acid mine drainage. He has gained invaluable experience working with various research groups around the world including postdoctoral positions at BRGM with Dr d’Hugues as part of the BioMinE project, and most recently with Prof. Harrison at CeBER.

Further information can be found at the website (http://www.min-eng.com/biohydromet12/intro.html)

The current programme can be found here.