Book excerpt: Rapid progress is being made in minerals processing based on biological principles. Microorganisms can play a beneficial role in all facets of minerals processing, from mining to waste disposal and management. Biohydrometallurgical extraction of metals from a wide variety of ores is being commercially practiced all over the world--in Canada, the United States, Russia, South America, Australia, and Europe. Mineral Biotechnology: Microbial Aspects of Mineral Beneficiation, Metal Extraction, and Environmental Control provides the technical knowledge necessary to compete in this arena by presenting specific detailed technologies and real-world case studies. The interactions among biotechnology, metals, and minerals are relevant to a number of emerging interdisciplinary areas such as biogenesis and biomineralization; biomaterials processing and biomimetics; ceramics and biomedical engineering; biomineral beneficiation; bioleaching; biocorrosion, biofouling, and biodeterioration; and bioenvironmental control.