Scientists at the Australian National University (ANU), working with global mining company Rio Tinto, have developed a filtration technology that can recover valuable metals from mining wastewater while turning it into clean water.
The system, known as Bioderived Element Resource Separation Technology (BERST), uses bioengineered proteins modelled on how plants separate nutrients from toxins. These proteins can extract minerals such as copper and lithium — essential to renewable energy — from mining wastewater.
“Building a sustainable future depends on careful management of the critical resources required for the green energy transition,” Professor Caitlin Byrt said. “Mining operations deliver these critical resources but also generate substantial volumes of waste – there are currently tens of thousands of inactive and unrehabilitated mine sites in Australia.”
Researchers estimate that mining sites around the world contain more than $5 trillion worth of metals trapped in wastewater. If left untreated, this waste can damage ecosystems, including acid mine drainage (AMD) that contaminates freshwater systems, making reservoirs unusable. The United Nations ranks AMD second only to climate change as a global environmental concern.
Professor Byrt said BERST could dramatically cut the costs of mine closure and rehabilitation – estimated to costs $4 to $8 billion every year in Australia alone – while creating new revenue streams for mining companies.
“With approximately 240 Australian mines projected to close by 2040, and thousands more globally, there is an urgent need for innovative and effective waste management and rehabilitation strategies,” she said.
“This is where BERST comes in. The technology offers a simple yet effective solution to recycle and reuse these critical resources – that are essential to the clean energy transition – while helping mining sites reduce their environmental footprint.”
Dr Samantha McGaughey, recently named the ACT Scientist of the Year, said BERST system could incorporate many selective proteins individually programmed to identify and recover a specific metal and mineral. It can also turn filthy mining wastewater into clean drinking water, bolstering global water security.
BERST can take many shapes and sizes, from a two-litre portable unit to the size of a shipping container to an entire facility, meaning it can be easily transported and deployed at any mine site in the world.
The researchers hope the technology can be rolled out across the world, cleaning up environmental damage from mining while recovering materials needed for the renewable energy transition.
“With BERST, we’re adapting nature’s blueprints into a technology that can unlock valuable resources, reduce environmental impacts and make mine closure more economically and socially sustainable,” Dr McGaughey said.
