Latest inventions in science and technology Bio-mining method Context:94 Acres of Land Reclaimed at Perungudi Dump Site through Bio-mining Project. Work is currently underway—at a cost of ₹350 crore—to reclaim 225 acres of land at the Perungudi dump site by removing approximately 29.28 lakh cubic meters of accumulated legacy waste using the eco-friendly bio-mining method. About Biomining Biomining is a method of extracting metals from ores and solid waste using living organisms such as bacteria, archaea, fungi, or plants. It can also be used to clean areas contaminated with toxic metals. Process Metals are usually trapped within solid mineral rocks. Certain microbes help in oxidizing these metals, making them soluble in water. This allows easier recovery of metals compared to extracting them directly from rocks. In some cases, microbes do not dissolve the target metal but instead break down surrounding minerals, making metal extraction easier from the residue. When microbes directly dissolve the metal, the process is called bioleaching. When microbes help concentrate or expose the metal in the leftover material, it is called biooxidation. Benefits of Biomining Resource recovery: Biomining helps in recycling waste materials by extracting valuable metals and other useful components, and the remaining material can sometimes be used as compost or fertilizer. Eco-friendly approach: It is a sustainable and environmentally safe method, and it also helps in cleaning contaminated land, making it suitable for other productive uses
