This book describes emerging and established industrial processes of biomining technologies used for the recovery of metals of economic interest from, e.g. mineral ores, mining and electronic wastes using microbiological technologies. Multiple chapters focus on engineering design and operation of biomining systems. Several industrial case studies from China, Chile, Peru, Russia/Kazakhstan and Finland are included, which emphasises the practical approach of the book. The reader not only learns more about the biology, diversity and ecology of microorganisms involved in biomining processes, but also about microbial biomolecular and cultivation tools used in the biomining industry. Special emphasis is put on emerging biotechnologies enabling the use of biomining for recycling metals from e-wastes, waste streams and process waters. Finally, the future impacts and direction of biomining towards sustainability in a metal-demanding world are also highlighted. The book is aimed at an interdisciplinary audience involving operators and researchers working across disciplines including geology, chemical engineering, microbiology and molecular biology. This is reflected by the content of this book, as well as by its authors, who are all leading practitioners and authorities in their fields.

Biomining is the use of microorganisms in the recovery of metals from ores. During bioleaching, metals such as copper, nickel or zinc are oxidized through microbial action from the water-insoluble sulfide to the soluble sulfate forms. Although gold is inert to microbial action, microbes can also be used in gold recovery from certain types of ores because as they oxidize the ore, they open up its structure, thereby allowing a gold-solubilizing agent such as cyanide to penetrate the ore. The book describes several industrial bioleaching and biooxidation processes as well as the underlying theory and biology of the microbes involved.

This book will serve as a ready reckoner of contemporary information regarding municipal solid waste landfill biomining, treatment of landfill leachate and heavy metals in a single platform. The academicians, researchers, and students at master’s and doctoral levels will be able to understand the current trends in municipal solid waste landfill operations, which will help in augmenting their research. Construction of new landfills requires huge monetary investments, which can be avoided if old landfills were bio-mined for resources and the space can be re-used as new landfills. Landfill leachate is a hazardous waste which needs proper treatment that could generate value-added products such as clean energy and biofertilizers. In this book, each chapter would provide the background, methodology, and relevant calculations for sustaining landfill operations. Also, the case studies based on best practices in municipal solid waste landfilling are discussed in this book.

Focusing on current and future uses of microbes as production organisms, this practice-oriented textbook complements traditional texts on microbiology and biotechnology. The editors have brought together leading researchers and professionals from the entire field of industrial microbiology and together they adopt a modern approach to a well-known subject. Following a brief introduction to the technology of microbial processes, the twelve most important application areas for microbial technology are described, from crude bulk chemicals to such highly refined biomolecules as enzymes and antibodies, to the use of microbes in the leaching of minerals and for the treatment of municipal and industrial waste. In line with their application-oriented topic, the authors focus on the "translation" of basic research into industrial processes and cite numerous successful examples. The result is a first-hand account of the state of the industry and the future potential for microbes in industrial processes. Interested students of biotechnology, bioengineering, microbiology and related disciplines will find this a highly useful and much consulted companion, while instructors can use the case studies and examples to add value to their teaching.

This Encyclopedia of Biotechnology is a component of the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. Biotechnology draws on the pure biological sciences (genetics, animal cell culture, molecular biology, microbiology, biochemistry, embryology, cell biology) and in many instances is also dependent on knowledge and methods from outside the sphere of biology (chemical engineering, bioprocess engineering, information technology, biorobotics). This 15-volume set contains several chapters, each of size 5000-30000 words, with perspectives, applications and extensive illustrations. It carries state-of-the-art knowledge in the field and is aimed, by virtue of the several applications, at the following five major target audiences: University and College Students, Educators, Professional Practitioners, Research Personnel and Policy Analysts, Managers, and Decision Makers and NGOs.

This Encyclopedia of Biotechnology is a component of the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. Biotechnology draws on the pure biological sciences (genetics, animal cell culture, molecular biology, microbiology, biochemistry, embryology, cell biology) and in many instances is also dependent on knowledge and methods from outside the sphere of biology (chemical engineering, bioprocess engineering, information technology, biorobotics). This 15-volume set contains several chapters, each of size 5000-30000 words, with perspectives, applications and extensive illustrations. It carries state-of-the-art knowledge in the field and is aimed, by virtue of the several applications, at the following five major target audiences: University and College Students, Educators, Professional Practitioners, Research Personnel and Policy Analysts, Managers, and Decision Makers and NGOs.