Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

The global demand for gold is rising as populations grow and more technologies require this precious metal. Gold is a finite resource and is one of Canada's most important mineral commodities. In 2021, Canadian mines extracted 223 tonnes of gold worth $21.3 billion in exports (natural-resources.canada.ca) making Canada the fourth largest gold producer in the world. With more financial and environmental challenges associated with finding and opening new gold mines (primary source), Canada must develop new strategies to secure its gold export into the future. Gold recovery from mine tailings (secondary source) or e-waste (tertiary sources) is an opportunity to turn materials, generally considered to be waste, into a resource. This circular economy would ensure a sustainable and environmentally friendly minerals industry seeking to move to a carbon neutral economy. The long-term goal of this research program is to develop fundamental knowledge within the emerging field of waste geomicrobiology that can help identify processes to aid precious metal extraction from secondary and tertiary sources in an eco-friendly manner. The knowledge gained from this research could be applied to critical minerals. In doing so, the short-term aims of the proposed research is to understand factors influencing microbe-gold interactions, gold mobility, and gold dispersion within changing environments, i.e., impacted by anthropogenic activity or climate change. This will be targeted through three objectives: 1) identifying how fungi contribute to gold redox processes and dispersion within sediment, 2) determining how environmental factors influence the kinetics of gold biogeochemical cycling, (3) assessing gold recovery from historic mine tailings. These projects will combine structural and chemical characterization of natural materials (gold nuggets, electrum grains, mine tailings) with laboratory-based experiments. The research program will succeed through the efforts of a diverse team of highly qualified personnel (HQP). In turn, they will have opportunities to develop practical laboratory and analytical skills (critical thinking), experimental design and oral/written communication skills (creativity), growth mindsets through teamwork (compassion). These skills and qualities will maximize their employability making them valued assets in their chosen career paths whether it be academia, industry, or government sectors. This research aligns with both Canada's and Ontario's Critical Mineral Strategies by transforming waste materials into gained equity by developing a more resilient and local supply chain. Research outcomes lay the foundations for developing future interdisciplinary collaborations within academia as well as industry. This is a step towards sustainable consumption that would promote the Canadian gold industry to be a world-leader in waste-resource management and environmental preservation, assuring a similar quality of life for future generations.