Bio-electro MineR2

Abstract

After the communication by the Regional Goverment of Castilla-La Mancha of the resolution granting this project, work began on all activities to achieve the goals set. In this section, the main results derived from the project will be disseminated.

The pollution of the natural environment is one of the main concerns of today's society. Water pollution is especially important in Castilla-La Mancha, due to its scarcity, which could limit its future social and economic development; on the other hand, important specific problems of soil pollution are also detected, which is also a necessary and non-renewable natural resource. Some of the environmental problems described have their origin in a non-existent or ineffective management of waste from anthropic activities. The optimal management of this waste within the framework of the circular economy would imply both the mitigation of its environmental impact on ecosystems and human health, as well as the recovery of valuable resources contained therein.

Castilla-La Mancha has a long mining tradition dating back to Roman times. Since then, mining activity has generated a large amount of waste that, in many cases, was accumulated in the mining environments themselves without proper treatment. Currently, this waste is abandoned due to the cessation of activity of the companies that exploited these mining resources, with the consequent environmental problems that this generates. In accordance with the Strategic Plan of Non-Energy Mineral Resources of Castilla-La Mancha. Horizon 2020 (PERMINE), mining waste dumped in dumps, ponds or dams must be quantified and characterized, as well as evaluated the degree of recycling or reuse that could be made of them in order to recover them.

In this context, the Bio-electro MineR2 project aims to combine biotechnology and electrochemical treatments to recover usable resources, mainly metals and rare earths, contained in abandoned mining waste, thus achieving the environmental rehabilitation of contaminated environments through the application of circular economy principles. To achieve this goal, the Bio-electro MineR2 project will address the following aspects:

1. The characterization of abandoned waste (acid drainage of mines, dumps and rafts) in metal mining environments of Castilla-La Mancha, in order to identify the most problematic types of waste from the environmental point of view, as well as those most susceptible to recovery through the technologies to be applied.
2. Study of the technical feasibility of extracting metals and rare earths of interest from sludge deposited in mining ponds and abandoned dumps using bioleaching processes capable of generating a metal-rich effluent that will be treated later for the recovery of the metal.
3. Study of the technical feasibility of the electrochemical recovery process of the metals contained in the acid mine drainage and in the liquid effluent, rich in metals, from the biolixiviation. These electrochemical technologies of recovery, electromigration and electrodeposition, will be complemented with the final treatment in artificial wetlands in order to achieve zero discharge of hazardous materials.
4. Study of the technical feasibility of the application of phytoremediation, alone or in combination with electroremediation, for the decontamination of sludge from abandoned mining ponds and the eventual recovery of metals and rare earths accumulated in plant tissues.
5. Economic and environmental analysis of the measures and technologies studied and realization of a combined treatment proposal for the decontamination of abandoned mining environments and the recovery of resources.
6. The achievement of the established objectives will allow to have technologies that can provide a solution to the management of abandoned mining waste, thus reducing its impact on the environment, health and the economy, which would contribute to the progress and development of Castilla-La Mancha.
7. The remarkable experience and multidisciplinarity of the team that makes up the application, as well as the participation of three EPOs, belonging to both the public and private sectors, guarantee an adequate transfer of results to the industrial sector (Minas de Almadén y Arrayanes S.A.), as well as to the interested public bodies (Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadiana and Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha).
8. Bio-electro MineR2 fits perfectly within the priority lines defined in the RIS3 of Castilla-La Mancha, being remarkable its link with Challenge 4. Achieve greater resource efficiency and Challenge 9. Sustainability: favoring the transition to a low-carbon economy in all sectors, more specifically with measure 9.1 Favor the development of the green economy "Promote and promote the proper management of waste, policies for the prevention and reuse of waste". Additionally, the project proposes the training of two new researchers at the doctoral level, which is in line with what was proposed in the RIS3 document in terms of staff training (Challenge 3. Promote HR in the knowledge economy).