After 12 years of experiments, studies, lab tests, pilot schemes, prototypes, and test at industrial and semi industrial levels, today we have the industrial technology to produce copper using bacteria.
It is a bioleaching process where the microorganisms extract red metal from low grade sulphide ores: basically, bacteria dissolve sulfur and iron, letting copper free in a soluble way. This new method is more efficient and lower cost than ones used currently. In its development took part the Center for Mathematical Modeling (CMM) of Universidad de Chile, which worked with Biosigma, Codelco’s subsidiary that made this technology.
Source: La Tercera Online
