Episode Details

In this episode we chat to Nicole Richards, CEO of Allonnia, who are a company harnessing nature to solve the biggest environmental challenges for net positive impact. They transform liability into value by leveraging the power of biotechnology and engineered systems to help our customers reach their ESG goals in a waste-free world.

Nicole has over 28 years of industry leadership within water treatment, mining, and chemicals industries and gives us the history and story behind Allonnia, how they work with mining companies, how their technology helps mining companies hit their sustainability goals and thoughts on the trade wars that are having an impact on our industry.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Allonnia is leveraging synthetic biology to innovate within the mining industry, focusing on transforming waste into value and addressing sustainability challenges through biotechnology.
• The company is developing solutions for environmental contaminants like 1,4-Dioxane and PFOS, showcasing the potential of biotechnology to remediate harmful substances in various industries, including mining.
• Allonnia's first product, D-Solve, aims to selectively remove impurities from ore, which can enhance the grade of metals like nickel and improve overall mining efficiency while reducing environmental impact.
• The mining industry is increasingly open to innovation, with major companies actively seeking partnerships with startups to test and implement new technologies, creating opportunities for faster commercialisation.
• Focus on Value Unlocking: The immediate economic drivers for biotech in mining are centred around unlocking value from low-grade ores and waste streams, with long-term goals of reducing environmental liabilities and promoting sustainable practices.

BEST MOMENTS

"Waste is a failure of the imagination. How do you take synthetic biology or really transformational biology and bring that into these processes?" 

"In the near term, the biggest driver is in the value unlock... around metals recovery from low-grade ores and waste streams." 

"If you shut down a mine for a minute, the millions of dollars they're going to lose is incredible." 

"The way we look at it... is that that's been a huge improvement. They're creating innovation challenges." 

"What is rare is countries being able to domesticate the processing of those rare earths."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Mail:        rob@mining-international.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/

X:              https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast 

Web:        http://www.mining-international.org

This episode is sponsored by Hawcroft, leaders in property risk management since 1992. They offer:

• Insurance risk surveys recognised as an industry standard
• Construction risk reviews
• Asset criticality assessments and more

Working across over 600 sites globally, Hawcroft supports mining, processing, smelting, power, refining, ports, and rail operations. For bespoke property risk management services, visit www.hawcroft.com

GUEST SOCIALS

• Get in touch at https://allonnia.com/contact-us/
• Follow Allonnia on LinkedIn at https://w