The project “Reprocessing of mining tailings for cobalt recovery through pyrite bioleaching: a potential source of cobalt for energy technologies and electromobility,” also known as Cobalto Verde®, is validating the use of bioleaching to obtain cobalt from tailings from IOCG (iron-copper-gold oxide) deposits, which are common in the Atacama and Coquimbo regions and are characterized by a high concentration of pyrite.

To date, researchers at the UNAB Systems Biotechnology Center have identified biominerals with a significant capacity to oxidize the iron and sulfur that make up pyrite. This process allows the pyrite to be dissolved, and the cobalt and other valuable metals associated with this mineral to be released.

Kobold consortium patent application

In August 2025, a patent application was filed with the National Institute of Industrial Property (INAPI) and 157 other states for the consortium of microorganisms named Kobold B(S), as well as the method developed for the bioleaching of tailings and concentrates at temperatures above 30°C to obtain cobalt and other valuable metals.

The consortium or association is made up of three genera of microorganisms that feed on iron and sulfur and naturally inhabit tailings in the Atacama region in northern Chile. These were isolated and “domesticated” in the laboratory for their high potential to recover valuable metals, such as cobalt, nickel, and copper, from mining waste.

From the laboratory to the relevant environment

The Cobalto Verde project plans to test different bioleaching systems in columns, bioreactors, and confined piles, using process water and conditions similar to those found in industry.

The laboratory work is being carried out at the Biomining Laboratory of the Systems Biotechnology Center at Andrés Bello University in collaboration with the Minerals Processing Laboratory at the Department of Mining Engineering of the University of Chile.

In early 2026, the consortium and the bioleaching method will be validated in a relevant environment (TRL-6) at a Pucobre mining site in the Atacama region, while at the end of the project, in 2027, it is expected that the criteria will be in place to set up a semi-industrial pilot plant that will allow the laboratory conditions for cobalt recovery from tailings to be scaled up.