Addition of 20-year mining veteran Dr. Ronney Silva will drive commercialization of Locus’ sustainable solutions to metals shortage for clean-energy technologies
HOUSTON (October 3, 2022) A new line of biosurfactant reagents from Locus Mining Solutions has shown promising results in addressing the shortage of minerals needed for the clean energy transition. This groundbreaking technology continues to attract top scientific talent to the technology startup with the addition of Ronney Silva, PhD, MBA. As the Director of Metallurgy, Dr. Silva will help streamline commercialization of carbon-neutral biosurfactant additives to boost mineral extraction from low-grade ores.
Dr. Silva was attracted to Locus Mining Solutions’ innovative work developing green reagents that enable mining companies to efficiently recover more minerals and metals from their mines.
“The transition to clean energy is skyrocketing demand for key minerals, most of which were already facing worldwide production challenges,” said Dr. Silva. “And in an ideal world, the process of supplying minerals for clean energy must also become greener. What attracted me to working with Locus Mining Solutions is that they are the first company to develop novel, ESG-friendly, biosurfactant solutions capable of 91% recovery rates in extracting insoluble copper. These are impressively higher rates than what traditional solutions can achieve.”
Dr. Silva has more than 20 years’ mining experience. He has worked with companies like Brazilian ore giant Vale, to GL&V, Sandwell and FLSmidth. He has spent significant time developing and analyzing ore beneficiation processes. Dr. Silva joins industry veteran Gabi Knesel, PhD, MBA, who joined Locus Mining Solutions as vice president earlier this year.
As part of his onboarding, Dr. Silva will help establish and operate a state-of-the-art metallurgical lab capable of finely tuned application testing for mining solutions. Based in The Woodlands, TX the lab will develop and optimize the next generation of biosurfactant-based reagents in minerals and mineral beneficiation.
Further steps will include expanding production and building a sales team, all of which will drive consistent job growth. With expected further expansion, these jobs will spread from the U. S. across the globe.
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ABOUT LOCUS MINING SOLUTIONS
Locus Mining Solutions, a division of Locus Fermentation Solutions, addresses the demand for sustainable mining practices that are environmentally friendly, while boosting minerals and metals extraction rates from low-grade ores that are common today. The division develops carbon-neutral, 100% renewable-sourced biosurfactant additives that boost traditional processes in extracting stranded minerals and metals that are increasingly required for the energy transition. This new generation of mining reagents speed the achievement of sustainability goals while also expanding profitability. To learn more about effective and ESG-friendly biosurfactants in mining, visit LocusMining.com.