Finding workable ways to become independent of terrestrial resources is essential as we seek to increase the number of people in space. One of the most promising strategies to accomplish in-situ resource utilisation, according to the major space agencies, is space biomining of the Moon, Mars, and asteroids. Space biomining is still in its infancy but it may be possible to use microbial-based biotechnologies to extract valuable and structural metals, water, oxygen, vital mineral nutrients, and volatiles from rocks and regolith found in space. The application of bioleaching microorganisms could potentially be used to support regenerative life support systems, recycle garbage, and bioremediate space. 

Techniques for terrestrial biomining might not be feasible. Consequently, it is imperative to invest in both terrestrial and space-based research of specific techniques for space applications in order to learn how space conditions affect biomining and bioremediation, increase our understanding of anaerobic biomining, organotrophic and community-based bioleaching mechanisms, and explore the use of synthetic biology to get around the constraints imposed by space environments.

Scope And Demand of Space Biomining

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As we move away from the earth the constant resupply of the resources decreases. In order to counter this issue, we need to find ways to isolate resources from the sources outside the land. In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) has been proposed  to achieve the aim of enabling sustainable exploration and settlement of space by mitigating the need of importing goods and materials from Earth. This is ensured by the use of microbial-based methods. Metals and minerals are essential resources for manufacturing and infrastructure development. The establishment of self-sufficient villages will require the provision of water, oxygen, volatiles, vital nutrients for human nutrition, and soil fertilizer—all of which can be found in space rocks. These requirements can be met by using microorganisms, which can extract beneficial elements through a process known as biomining or bioleaching. Nowadays, biomining is used to recover about 20–25% of copper and 5% of gold on Earth.

  Bioleaching can be used as a supplementary approach to recover low-grade ores that cannot be processed by standard procedure or to extract trace metals from mine waste. Due to the small size of these microbes, they can get access to the part of the ores that the traditional methods fail to get. This principle can be used to recycle solid materials from secondary waste products. Example, recovery of rare earth metals or copper from electronic waste.

Relevance in Current Times

Biomining is a practical and cost-effective way to improve the recovery of heavy metals from low-grade ores and wastes. As biohydrometallurgy offers clear technical and financial advantages over conventional physicochemical methods, it is becoming more and more recognised as an economically viable technology.