Biohydrometallurgy: a sustainable technology in evolution

Abstract

In the mid to late 1990’s biohydrometallurgy used to be considered an technology, but one can hardly continue to describe it as innovative today. Since the advent of biohydrometallurgical processing many major breakthroughs have been achieved and this economically profitable and sustainable technology now finds wide application in a variety of spheres, ranging from metal extraction to environmental remediation. Consequently, now that the pioneering days are over, what is required is a concerted effort by researchers to rationalize and optimize biohydrometallurgical processes.