Filmed for TV: BRAIN’s urban mining (bio-) technology

A film team has documented the process of “biomining” at BRAIN: What is the secret of the bio-based technology that allows precious metals such as gold to be extracted from e-waste and other waste streams in an environmentally friendly process? This topic is part of the German TV broadcast “W wie Wissen” under the subtitle “Greed for Gold”.

Precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum or palladium are needed for many high-tech applications. However, ore yields are declining, and ore mining furthermore pollutes the environment. The recovery of used precious metals from waste streams, e.g. from e-waste, is therefore becoming increasingly important. These metals can now be recovered sustainably with the help of biotechnology.

How this works will be shown on 25 April 2020 in an episode of the TV program "W wie Wissen" on Germany’s ARD channel, for which reporters looked into various aspects related to gold. BRAIN’s solution for sustainable gold mining was the subject of a film shoot on site in early March. Two of our gold extraction experts demonstrated how precious metals can be recovered from e-waste, ashes, slags and other waste streams in an environmentally friendly process using microorganisms.

The program "W wie Wissen – Gier nach Gold" will be shown on 25 April 2020 at 4:00 p.m. on TV channel ARD.