BacTech Mining’s commercially-proven bioleaching technology liberates metals from rock that otherwise would be sent to a smelter or roaster for burning which creates noxious gases as a by-product. Instead, BacTech’s process oxidizes sulfides containing gold, silver and copper using bacteria that complete in 6 days what naturally would take up to 20 years to accomplish. A base metals application of the technology has been successfully tested at a demonstration plan in Monterrey, Mexico. The bioleaching process is environmentally significant because of its ability to stabilize and remove hazardous metals, such as arsenic.
       BacTech’s patented bioleaching process is the company’s “wheelhouse”, according to Orr. Over the past decade, BacTech has proven its commercial value for the recovery of precious metals and successfully secured the support of financing banks. The next step is for BacTech to similarly prove its technology can commercially recover base metals. The company will then market its base metal process on a global scale.
       To date, BacTech has built three gold bioleaching plants, one in China and two in Australia. Recently, the company signed an agreement to test its base metal process on historic tailings deposits in Cobalt, Ontario. The Cobalt camp, once a prolific silver mining camp, includes 50 past-producing mines and their related tailings. Providing it can secure C$12 million in financing, BacTech plans to build a bioleaching facility to demonstrate the technology’s ability to stabilize arsenic while recovering cobalt, nickel and silver from the tailings.
       BacTech also has its eye on building a processing plant in Mexico where it would recover ore from arsenic-laden concentrates and tailings. Other future projects could involve removing sulfur from coal – a potential boon for the burgeoning clean energy movement, Orr says.
       BacTech is also testing an arsenopyrite stockpile of gold-bearing concentrate from a 1950s era gold mine in Manitoba owned by the government. It is believed to contain C$120 million in gold. The study will determine the amenability of bioleaching to recover the gold and stabilize contained arsenic.
       The company also is investigating the extraction of metal using bioleaching from three billion tons of material at a black shale oil deposit in Sweden. Initial testing resulted in 75% recovery of uranium. The material also contains vanadium and nickel.
       The company’s business strategy is to offer free testing of its processing technology while negotiating for a substantial portion of the recovered metals. “Bioleaching is a game-changer,” says Orr. “It is akin to the start of heap leaching in gold which completely changed the gold industry.”

       BacTech’s mining strategy is now focused on acquiring refractory gold projects that are difficult to process using standard cyanidation and carbon adsorption processes. Instead these sulfide ores usually require pre-treatment with roasting, pressure oxidation or ultrafine grinding to effectively recover gold. BacTech’s bioleaching process is an economically effective alternative.
       BacTech has an option to acquire a gold-antimony mine in western Guatemala that contains high levels of arsenic and is particularly suitable to the company’s bioleaching process. BacTech is also negotiating the acquisition of other gold projects, one involving an estimated 1 million ounce equivalent gold deposit in Armenia (also 5.8 million oz. AG and 55 million lbs. of Cu). The test results will be released shortly on the amenability of the ore from the Armenian government-owned Lichkvaz-Tey gold deposit to bioleaching. Other projects are located in South America and Europe.
“With recent prices of gold hovering around $1,200, the economics for these projects are very strong,” Orr says.

       After the restructuring, Orr will continue as CEO of the new cleantech company, BacTech Corporation. Mark Burridge, BacTech’s current Chairman of BacTech Gold will become Chairman of the mining company. Burridge previously worked for Merrill Lynch, Hatch Corporate Finance and Barrick Gold.
       BacTech’s financial balance sheet was boosted by a C$850,000 financing in April, and the company just completed a $2 million round in late July, according to Orr. Yamana has subscribed for $1M of the financing and Baker Steel will top up to own just under 20% of BM. Once the company’s spinout is completed, BacTech Corporation, the cleantech company, will list on the Canadian National Stock Exchange (CNSX), while the gold company will continue on the TSX Venture exchange, and, as its gold assets are firmly established, move to the main TSX.
       “We are dramatically changing the face of the company,” says Orr. “We are truly giving our investors two for the price of one.”.