Advancing a more sustainable future for critical minerals

UBC is bringing its expertise in critical minerals to the Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials, a $150 (US) million research endeavour to fundamentally change how we produce, use and recycle the minerals needed for modern technologies and the clean energy transition.   

Dr. Steven Hallam and Dr. Roger Beckie—with Microbiology and Immunology, and Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, respectively—will co-lead two of the Centre’s initial projects, both focused on copper.

“Critical minerals are the foundation for developing the diversified, renewable sources of energy we require to power a decarbonized future,” said Dr. John Steen, Director of the Bradshaw Research Institute for Minerals and Mining and associate professor in the Norman B. Keevil School of Mining. 

“UBC has proven time and time again our ability to partner with industry and local communities, to transform innovative ideas into commercially viable solutions that work on the ground. As the sole Canadian institution in the Centre, we are proud to continue UBC’s longstanding relationship with Rio Tinto, and to represent Canada’s expertise in this global effort to meet our critical minerals needs, while protecting future generations.” 

Together with researchers from Imperial College London, the University of California, Berkeley, the Australian National University and the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, to introduce new processes and technologies that will make critical mineral production and usage more environmentally, economically and socially sustainable, while supporting local communities. 

“These projects underscore the role for basic, interdisciplinary research and blue-sky thinking in charting a more sustainable course for critical minerals development,” said Dr. Mark MacLachlan, Dean pro tem of the Faculty of Science. “We’re facing a global copper shortage at a time when this metal is crucial to many green technologies. Our researchers are committed to exploring new ideas to meet global demand more efficiently.”

The copper challenge

The clean energy transition depends on developing renewable energy sources for electricity—and electricity depends on copper. To meet our energy demands, in 2019 the World Bank anticipated that we need as much copper in the next 25 years as has been mined in the last 5,000.  

Copper is also notoriously difficult to mine with conventional blasting and drilling methods. With the average copper grade—amount of metal present in each ton of ore—at less than one per cent, conventional copper mining produces a huge amount of waste. 

Researchers with UBC Science and Applied Science are co-leading three of the first projects funded by the Rio Tinto Centre:

Biotechnology-based solutions for copper mining

UBC microbiologist Dr. Steven Hallam is exploring biomining—using microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi—to more efficiently extract copper from mineral ores and reduce waste. Such biohydrometallurgy is recognized for its cost-effectiveness and reduced environmental impacts. Biomining also enables extraction of metals from low-grade ores and treatment of waste streams, including tailings and mining-influenced waters. 

Metal extraction from natural magmatic brines  

Dr. Roger Beckie with the department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences is investigating whether it is possible to extract copper and other critical minerals directly from copper-rich, very salty brines in the shallower parts of Earth’s crust, using extraction methods with considerably lower environmental impacts, and significantly reduced energy and water consumption compared to conventional mining technologies. After extracting the metal, the hot brines could be used as a source of geothermal energy. 

Post waste  

Dr. Vikram Yadav with the department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and school of Biomedical Engineering is developing new extraction and processing approaches built on biology to convert mine site waste into useable copper resources. Delivering these on-site systems is expected to lead to new business models that will rehabilitate degraded land and deliver value to local communities and waste processors.