Table 2.
Selected bioleached elements by A. ferrooxidans. A = Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, B = other organisms, and C = consortia. 1. According to the literature, the estimated copper extraction through biohydrometallurgy is about 30% worldwide. For the other metals, there are no clear data in the literature. * All the biomining experiments made in space refer to microgravity conditions on the ISS or simulated environments. d—estimates according to British Geological Survey.
| Element | Main Alloys | Application Fields | Metal Printing | Electronics | Extraction Yield (ktons/year) d | Biomining on Earth | Biomining in Space * | Biorecovery | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ti | Alpha/BetaTi alloys | Aerospace, Construction, Automobile | Yes | Major (hardware) | 6300 | Yes (A) | No | Yes (A,B,C) | [52] |
| V | Ferrovanadium | Structural, Fusion Reactor | No | Minor (semiconductors) | 81 | Yes (A) | Yes (B) | Yes (A,B,C) | [9,10,53,54,55,56] |
| Cr | FeCr, Stainless steel | Automobile, High Temperature | Yes | Minor (anticorrosive coating) | 38,600 | Yes (A) | No | Yes (A,B,C) | [43,57,58,59] |
| Fe | Steel, Inox | Construction, Automobile, Aerospace, | Yes | Major (solder) | 3,040,000 | Yes (A,B,C) | Yes (B) | Yes (A,B,C) | [9,10,22] |
| Ni | NiCrFe | Medical, Aerospace, Energy, Isolators, Automotive, Cables | Yes | Minor (plating agent) | 2700 | Yes (A) | Yes (B) | Yes (A,B,C) | [9,10,60] |
| Cu | Brass, Bronze | Construction, Marine, Automotive, Medical, Aerospace | Yes | Major (cables) | 20,700 | Yes (A,B,C) 1 | Yes (B) | Yes (A,B,C) | [9,10,61] |
| Ga | GaAlZn alloys | Semiconductors, Diodes, Circuits | No | Major (diodes) | 0.380 | Yes (A) | No | No | [62,63] |
| As | As Bronze | Automobile, Ammunition | No | Minor (batteries) | NA | Yes (A,B,C) | No | Yes (A,B,C) | [44,64] |
| W | W,Ni,Cu and W,Ni,Fe alloys | Aerospace, Medical, Automobile | Yes | Minor (light bulbs) | 91.5 | Yes (A) | No | Yes (A,B,C) | [65,66,67] |
| Au | AuPt alloys | Increasing Corrosion Resistance | No | Major (connector) | 3.3 | Yes (A) | No | No | [68,69,70,71] |
| Pb | PbCu, alloys | Automobile, Ammunition, Batteries | No | Major (solder) | 4700 | Yes (A,C) | No | Yes (A,B,C) | [72,73] |
| U | Mulberry | Increasing Corrosion Resistance | No | None | 53 | Yes (A) | No | Yes (A,B,C) | [74,75,76] |