DENVER– Cemvita Factory (“Cemvita”) announced today the company has acquired Denver based Solfatara Laboratories (“Solfatara”) to advance and rapidly scale the biomining business.
Solfatara specializes in extractive processes such as metal sulfide bio-oxidation and bioleaching, as well as acid mine drainage (AMD) monitoring/prevention and microbiological assessments. The acquisition includes Solfatara’s scale up facility in Golden, Colorado which gives Cemvita the ability to simulate heap leach conditions which will allow for the scaling of biomining technology in preparation for full field deployment.
Charles Nelson, Chief Business Officer of Cemvita, reinforces the importance of the acquisition, adding that, “Companies who cannot validate on a pilot scale do not reach the commercial scale. This acquisition essentially fast forwards Cemvita’s capability to scale by years and leaps us forward towards full commercial rollout in our biomining business.”
Tom Clark, the owner of Solfatara, also joins Cemvita, adding to the team’s expertise in biomining and scale-up. “For over a decade, Tom has been conducting biomining projects for small and large companies around the globe. Tom’s lab adds to Cemvita’s capacity various sized bioleaching columns that can be used to validate bioleaching test work at scale. This acquisition adds to our capability to rapidly scale and commercialize the bio-extraction of metals the world needs for energy transition,” said Marny Reakes, VP of Biomining for Cemvita.
Tom, now the Head of Biohydrometallurgy at Cemvita is excited to join Cemvita and said, “the benefits that synthetic biology and the latest biotech tools can bring to understanding and optimizing bioleaching and remediation processes to improve the extraction of energy transition metals from low grade ore and waste.”
In addition to integrating Solfatara within the broader Cemvita organization, Cemvita plans to optimize the Solfatara facilities to serve as a scale-up facility for Cemvita’s biomining business. Earlier this year Cemvita announced a partnership with Fluor to scale sustainable bio-solutions for extraction of critical minerals. The transaction will enable Cemvita Factory to continue expanding its presence in the Denver Metropolitan-Area, which has a long and storied history of delivering innovations to the mining industry.
