Biohydrometallurgy for sustainable development in the African minerals industry

Biohydrometallurgy is no longer a promising technology but is now an established economical alternative for treating specific mineral ores. It occupies an increasingly important place among the available mining technologies. A significant number of the current large-scale bioprocessing operations are located in developing countries. The popularity of this technology in most developing countries is largely due to low capital cost requirements and its simplicity in operation. The African continent, with South Africa in particular, pioneered and currently houses institutes that count among the top researchers in further development of the biohydrometallurgical technology. However, despite its abundant mineral reserves and deposits, Africa is still much behind in the commercialization process. This paper looks at possible reasons behind the lag in adoption of this technology in the African continent. It further considers the influencing factors for the adoption and effective application of biohydrometallurgy for the sustainable development of the African minerals industry. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All fights reserved.