Genome BC–BRIMM biomining partnership: design and scale-up notes for mine engineers
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell
First reported on MINING.com
30 Second Briefing
Genome British Columbia and UBC’s Bradshaw Research Institute for Minerals and Mining have launched a three-year Biomining Innovation Partnership backed by up to C$1 million to advance genomic tools for bioleaching and waste-stream metal recovery. The programme will train specialists and run field-focused projects on using microorganisms to extract metals from low-grade ores, tailings and polluted water that are uneconomic or difficult for conventional chemical or mechanical processing. Projects will be aligned with Rio Tinto’s C$150 million, 10-year Centre for Future Materials “Grand Challenges” to ensure direct relevance to large-scale mine operations.
Technical Brief
- Funding structure provides up to C$1 million over three years specifically for biomining genomics R&D.
- Genome BC–BRIMM collaboration is explicitly framed to bridge academic genomic research with industrial biomining deployment in BC.
- Biomining focus includes microbial extraction from mineral ores, tailings and contaminated process or drainage waters.
- Scope is limited to building genomics capacity and field-demonstration projects in BC, not full commercial roll-out.
Our Take
Within the 1051 Mining stories in our database, copper items linked to British Columbia (BC) tend to focus on permitting and capital markets, so this Genome BC–UBC BRIMM biomining work adds a rare upstream R&D angle that could eventually ease approvals for new or expanded copper operations in the province.
The C$150‑million, 10‑year scale of Rio Tinto’s backing for the Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials suggests that if genomic biomining tools from this BC partnership prove robust, they are likely to be trialled first in large, multinational copper portfolios rather than junior projects with tighter risk tolerance.
Because many of the 1997 tag‑matched ‘Sustainability’ pieces in our coverage centre on tailings and water quality, genomic biomining emerging from this Biomining Innovation Partnership could become a practical lever for operators to demonstrate measurable reductions in chemical use and legacy impacts at copper sites.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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