Issue link: http://resourceworld.uberflip.com/i/612354
d e c e m b e r / j a n u a r y 2 0 1 6 www.resourceworld.com 33 Metal mining requires the excavation and storage of massive quantities of rock and processed mineral waste. While current mining practices use best available technologies to minimize the impact on the environment from long term storage of waste, effluent treatment can be a costly and time consuming undertaking. The use of semi-passive and passive treat- ment options are increasing in popularity as the mechanisms that underlie their applications are better understood. The long-term stability of closed and reclaimed mines is of paramount importance for the safety of sur- rounding communities and the environment around mineral properties. The Casino Mine Project is a proposed open pit copper-gold-molybde- num-silver mine about 300 km northwest of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada, owned by the Casino Mining Corp. (CMC), a subsidiary of Western Copper and Gold Corp. [WRN-TSX, NYSE MKT]. The mine is typical of many porphyry copper deposits and ranks among the largest in the world. CMC anticipates processing 120,000 tonnes of ore per day over its estimated 22 years of production. An early environmental analysis has found something very interest- ing in the main tributary, Casino Creek, around the mineralized area. As expected, high copper concentrations exist upstream near the mineral- ized zone of the deposit; however, as the water progresses downstream there is a marked reduction in copper concentrations – considerably more than would be expected from just simple dilution. So what is causing this reduction? Water bodies surrounding mine sites can have naturally elevated metal and sulfates levels due to ore body mineralization resulting in acidic waters. These waters are known to har- bour microbes that have evolved to incorporate metal substrates into their metabolism. A Canadian firm, Palmer Environmental Consulting Group Inc. (PECG), hypothesizes that in Casino Creek, a bacterial community upstream is sequestering copper. With support from CMC and Genome British Columbia, the firm partnered with Dr. Chris Kennedy, a Professor of Aquatic Toxicology at Simon Fraser University, to identify the local community of microbes that could contribute to observed downstream reductions of copper in Casino Creek. The project determined that in the most copper-concentrated parts of the stream microbial communities were dominated by a particu- lar bacterial family. The genes in this family were identified as having characteristics of tolerating acidic and metal-rich environments. These organisms, if fully understood, could prove to be very useful to the mining industry. The data will be shared with regulators to show that a natural remediation process may already be present at the site for removal of metal contamination. Next steps include determining how to harness this natural phenom- enon within passive treatment systems as a complementary process, or as a risk mitigation tool to safeguard against contamination of the natu- ral environment. Future potential applications of using this microbial or similar communities for cleanup and bioremediation at other mine sites are vast. n MIcroBeS The ANSwer To coPPer MYSTerY by Dr. Gabe Kalmar, Vice President, Sector Development, Geonome British Columbia mINING As far as Chinese business people and investors being aware of the mineral resource potential of British Columbia and Canada in general, Chong said that senior government officials in the resource sector or senior management working in resources know that Canada is a resource rich country. "People in mining circles seem to know more about Australian and South American resources," Chong noted. "China imports wide range of raw material from Australia. However, British Columbia's resources are not that well known even among people in the Chinese mining industry. But there are investors who focus on investing in mining stocks and projects." Chong said that Chinese business people and inves- tors are currently investing in good producing assets whether it is in Canada or elsewhere. "They definitely prefer producing assets that generate cash flow," she said. "They are not too keen on exploration proj- ects, especially early stage ones. They are looking for medium to large size deposits. Their thinking in resource acquisition is strategic and they have a long- term view. They seem to prefer base metals such as copper, zinc and nickel. Gold is a strategic metal in China and their investment in gold is for that reason. Demand for gold jewelry is huge in China because of its culture and tradition, making it the largest gold consumer in the world." Commenting on potential Chinese mining invest- ments in Canada, Chong said, "As far as I know, there is no cap on how much they can and will invest in mining in Canada. Since they are mostly looking for large scale producing assets, the price tags are at least in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Their small to medium investments would be between US $200 mil- lion and US $500 million. When a project is too small, it's not worth their trouble." For Canadian explorers and mine developers who would like to attract Chinese participation in their projects, Chong said that, of course, one must have a good project to attract attention. "Since the Canadian mining scene is not all that familiar to the Chinese, to get their attention, do you homework to identify suitable investors and find out what they need, where they are coming from and who they represent. In China, trust and good projects almost come hand in hand. So build trust and be respectful of cultural dif- ferences," she said. Chong said that private investors, including pri- vate companies and funds, are more efficient in responding to a proposal. "State-owned companies Continued on page 61