When we think of mining, we think of big machines and people working in tunnels, but with the advent of modern technology, another type of mining system is gaining popularity.
Bio-mining, or bio-mining, is the practice of mining using microorganisms, that is, ancient forms of life.
In the 1950s, copper mines were filled with water, mixed with iron and rust, and held in place.
It would form copper ores and mine walls
In the past it was thought to be an alchemy phenomenon, but in fact it was the chemo synthesis bacteria that inhaled the metals, which did this by extracting copper from copper sulphate to find the energy they needed for life.
In this way the metals are decomposed from their compounds, and there are thousands of bacteria in the soil that can make the pure metal,
Now to separate the metal from the ores, they have to be heated and liquefied, which requires a lot of energy.
However, even without this energy, microbes decompose metal compounds using catalysts, or catalysts, to reduce the energy level required for chemical reactions.
In 2019, researchers sent such microbes to the International Space Station to see if they could grow in areas with little or no gravity.
Bio-mining is something that could be used in the future, from asteroids to meteors, to Mars, and sometimes by the time our grandchildren are old, such eco-friendly mining will only exist, and bio-mining is, by all means, ahead of all other mining systems.
Given that 15% of the world’s copper and 5% of gold is mined today, there is no need to describe its future much.
It is estimated that there are thousands or millions of species of micro-organisms that have evolved to extract all metals, and that we have not yet been able to study even 1% of them.
There are two ways to do this,
- Bio oxidation
In this, the micro-organisms decompose the compounds in the metal that we need - Bio Leaching in this system the microorganisms decompose the metal you need and mix it with water and release it The same system can be used to separate metals from our waste and regenerate even toxic soils. These same microbes are going to help us recycle the 17 most precious elements of the earth. This is probably the same technology we are going to use for space mining. This is because building and transporting tons of mining machinery to other planets is a daunting task.
- Instead it is the addition of microorganisms that can decompose all metals and other elements
These same microorganisms are going to make any habitat other than the earth suitable for us to live in. Having said all this, the biggest challenge we face is finding the species of microorganisms that best fit our needs and their flocks. Through the use of biotechnology, we can become a Type 1 culture and begin the journey to Type 2,
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