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BacTech is expanding the use of its patented BACOX bioleaching technology to the processing of toxic, arsenic-laden mine tailings. An added benefit of bioleaching, in addition to stabilizing arsenic and capturing heavy metals, is that it oxidizes sulphides in the tailings, thereby eliminating a major source of acid mine drainage. The technology also recovers precious and base metals from the tailings for sale to market. In other words, bioleaching is an environmental clean up solution that also creates a profit.
BacTech Mining Corporation is a publicly-listed Canadian company with its shares quoted on the TSX Venture Exchange (Symbol: BM). The Company was founded in 1988 with its origin in Western Australia. BacTech was incorporated in mid 1997 in Ontario, Canada, and went public in September of the same year.
The Company owns proprietary bacterial oxidation technology that liberates precious and base metals from difficult-to-treat sulphide ores and concentrates. Bacterial oxidation is a safe and environmentally friendly process. It has the advantage of improving metal recovery at significantly lower capital and operating costs when compared to traditional treatment methods of smelting, roasting and pressure oxidation. BacTech is the only company in the world that has commercially-proven bioleaching technology for gold and for base metal separation.
BacTech is expanding the use of its patented BACOX bioleaching technology to the processing of toxic mine tailings
The Company has recently re-focused its strategy and core offerings on environmental remediation services to address the worldwide arsenic problem. This decision was based on the global demand for the remediation of mining areas and the benefit of owning equity interests in such projects versus the external licensing of the bioleaching technology. BacTech will strive to secure an equity position in each project, which will be augmented by additional cash flow related to metal recovery. Where possible, the company will partner with national and local governments, and non-governmental organizations, to fund portions of the projects.
To focus on growth strategies, the Company will spin out its gold mining activities as an independent company over which it will have no control. This business, now structured as a subsidiary called BacTech Gold Corporation, will possess a separate management team and Board of Directors. The company will target gold mining areas around the world where a more environmental bioleaching process would be ideal in the separation of gold from the sulphides. Sales of gold from such operations will comprise BacTech Gold's core business model, and BacTech Mining will solely receive a production royalty in exchange for the use of its proprietary technology.
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BacTech: Spurring a Revolution in Environmental Remediation
BacTech is a pioneering, environmental technology firm that has developed a proprietary technology to remediate highly toxic tailing areas resulting from abandoned mining operations. BacTech's groundbreaking technology, called "bioleaching," employs naturally occurring bacteria, harmless to both humans and the environment, to oxidize the sulphide materials left behind after years of mining. The tailings may contain ores and related materials contaminated by arsenic and other substances that are poisonous to humans and animals, as well as harmful to the local environment. The sulphides in the tailings react with the atmosphere to create an acidic solution called acid mine drainage ("AMD"), which leaches into the surrounding area over time. BacTech's bioleaching process can stabilize these toxins from minerals and prevent additional harmful AMD. The technology provides a "Garden of Eden" environment for the bacteria and achieves in 6 days what would normally take 20 years to occur naturally.
Why NOW is the Time for a Permanent Solution
The worldwide contamination caused by abandoned mines is so widespread that it is neither quantified nor fully evaluated. It is generally accepted, however, that in countries with a long history of mining, the magnitude of the problem is considerable; these areas are generally laden with toxic chemicals that leach into the surrounding areas. There are tens of thousands of sites around the world that contain mining-related arsenic and other substances. The public is increasingly demanding that the governments and companies responsible address the contamination due to the negative consequences of such sites. These effects include polluted water, contaminated land, air pollution, loss of useful groundwater and land, and significant negative health consequences to humans and animals living in the area.
The Technology: Bioleaching
BacTech's patented BACOX bioleaching technology uses naturally occurring bacteria, harmless to both humans and the environment, to oxidize the contained sulphides and separate metal from the difficult-to-process tailings. In the process, toxic elements such as arsenic are stabilized. The tailings created by bioleaching are benign, and zero environmental damage occurs as a result of the process. An added bonus is its ability to recover valuable metals such as silver, cobalt and nickel that remain in the tailings.
Bioleaching is an environmental clean-up solution that also creates a profit. |
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Bioleach plant proposed to clean up arsenic-contaminated tailings in northern Ontario township
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This section provides details on BacTech's bioleaching technology and how it can be applied to the clean-up of toxic mine tailings