Our Vision for Climate Bio Impact

Biology can transform mining, but too often the scientific conversation starts at "protein optimization" rather than "industry appropriateness". If we hope to see genuine impact—especially for more sustainable processes like biomining—we need to speak the language of the mining industry. That means translating promising lab breakthroughs into the metrics that matter at scale.

Scientists are best equipped when they are familiar with the financial language of industry; this allows them to discover entry points for better and cleaner technologies. We are thrilled to announce an open-source techno-economic analysis (TEA) resource specifically built around copper extraction from chalcopyrite in heap leach operations. This Excel-based tool is designed to put scientists in the "Command Center" of a mine, showing how value is truly created—and how biology can move the needle on real-world costs and revenues.

Our Intended Audience

Scientists, innovators, funders, researchers, miners, and other ecosystem participants who are developing biotechnology and other green solutions for mining applications.

Our Objective

To level the knowledge playing field by providing both a framework (TEA Excel model) and embedded expertise to help early-stage innovators establish reference points for their technologies' economic potential.

The TEA as a Scaffold

This TEA serves as a starting scaffold for teams developing mining-related biotechnologies, especially focused on heap leaching where biological interventions can make meaningful differences in efficiency, costs, and environmental impact.

Our focus has been on building the Excel scaffold (formulas, sheets, etc.), using rough assumptions for illustrative purposes. We've created an example where 100% of the copper-bearing mineralogy in the ore is chalcopyrite, and the only product is copper cathode. We recognize that every mining operation differs significantly, and these assumptions will need refinement for specific applications.

Our Goal for You

For those using this model for your specific applications, we strongly encourage you to thoroughly understand how all components interconnect. Examine every number and assumption to ensure relevance to your context and find appropriate references. This is more than a disclaimer—we want climate bio founders and ecosystem participants to develop robust mental models around TEA. There are no shortcuts beyond investing time to understand the model's mechanics. While this model required approximately 100 hours of collective time to build, you should spend at least 10 hours customizing it before considering it suitable for your specific analysis.