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This
project is conceived as a need-driven-research, focused on the concept that
waste can become a valuable resource, supplying metals that are extracted today
by other processes, promoting recycling, minimizing harmful waste and hazard
and dissipation.
The selection of the target minerals/ metals in the project
addresses the need for continuous supply of these in Europe for technology,
anticipating a future cost effectiveness potential of the practical application
of the expected research results.
Innovative methods and processes for
extracting even faint traces of these elements are the focus of the project.
New characterized microorganisms with potential to be applied in
biosolubilization, biomineralization and bioaccumulation will be obtained.
The consortium will assess the microbial biodiversity in tailings where potentially critical high-tech metals may exist ( In, Ga, Te and W) but also relevant pollutants (As, Sb), located in different geological and climatic settings. Isolates will be tested in macrocosm conditions at the last part of the project. The ultimate focus will be to apply microorganisms in the extraction process through bioleaching and to recover the minerals from lixiviates by biomineralization and bioaccumulation. A comparative environmental risk assessment will be performed to residues produced by bioleaching with and without nanoparticles.