From vaccines to copper: a biologist’s unlikely journey into mining
Peter Lavrencic owns a front-row seat to mining history in the making. As Nuton heads towards producing first copper at Gunnison Copper Corp.’s Johnson Camp Mine in Arizona, Peter, Nuton’s Biotechnology Lead, plays a key role in the biological process behind a major milestone: the first industrial-scale demonstration of the proprietary Nuton® Technology.
With first Nuton Copper expected in late 2025, this moment marks a turning point for the venture—validating the Nuton Technology’s proprietary process at scale and paving the way for commercial deployment and a new era in sustainable copper production.
A biochemist’s path to bioleaching
Peter says he’s had an untraditional career path crossing from pharmaceuticals to mining. “It’s incredible how you can transfer your knowledge across what seem like unrelated industries.” He previously worked in the manufacturing, development, and regulatory affairs of vaccines and biological medicines in the pharmaceutical industry. As an ever-curious biochemist and biologist, Peter was so drawn to Nuton’s breakthrough in environmentally conscious copper mining technology that he swapped his career in pharma for one in cutting-edge copper.
Today, Peter’s work bridges the fields of biology and mining. Instead of growing biological medicines in bioreactors for pharmaceuticals, he’s applying similar science to bioleaching in the mining sector. “Mining has historically been seen as a ‘polluting and non-environmentally friendly’ industry, but this new biological process of bioleaching is a positive shift toward a cleaner, more sustainable method whilst delivering a critical resource for our society.”
Microbes that mine: the science behind the heap
Nuton’s approach to copper mining is game-changing. “Our process is more cost-effective and better for the environment compared to traditional methods mining this ore type.” Moving away from traditional, high-energy-use methods, the Nuton® Technology employs a proprietary biological process using specially curated microorganisms to extract copper from ore.
Massive bioreactors serve as breeding grounds where Nuton’s microbes are born to mine. The facility encompassing the bioreactors – the BIGF for short – is the star bioreactor at Johnson Camp Mine where the microbial magic happens.
“It’s like a maternity ward of microbes, where we provide the incentive and conditions to multiply the right microbes at a maximal rate,” Peter says. These microbes work by “eating” ore components such as iron in the ore, which through a series of chemical reactions releases copper in a process that’s as fascinating as it is revolutionary.
“In the pharmaceutical industry, we grow cells and use their components for the medicine. What we’re doing in mining is somewhat similar. We’ve designed a special composition of microbes to grow in large bioreactors and the cells themselves are the ‘medicine’ for our heap.”
Scaling up sustainably
Peter’s focus is on optimizing the biological side of the process – ensuring the right diversity of microbes is fine-tuned to perform reliably at scale. This is no small feat: the microbes must thrive in harsh mining environments, adapt to changing conditions, and work together in complex chemical reactions.
“People have been mining copper for centuries. Much of the easy-to-mine copper has been mined out. Additionally, the world is more conscious of the environment.” Peter proudly adds that the Nuton Technology isn’t just about producing copper – it’s about doing it more sustainably. These microbes consume carbon dioxide as they work, and water is continuously recycled — turning mining’s biggest environmental challenges into solutions.
Johnson Camp: a launchpad for the future of copper mining
When Peter joined Nuton, everything was still on paper for JCM. Today, Johnson Camp Mine is a buzzing launching pad, with key infrastructure connected and ready for commissioning – the final step before copper production begins.
For him, the biggest reward of the project has been seeing it come off the paper into real life, and the collaboration taking place across Nuton’s team to make this a reality. From mining engineers and metallurgists to AI specialists, the Johnson Camp journey has been powered by a diverse group of experts to bring the Nuton Technology to life.
The learnings and successes from Johnson Camp will inform future deployments across other copper-rich regions, from Arizona to South America.
“I’m a scientist, so new things excite me. I can genuinely use my skills in a unique way.” Peter is thrilled to witness years of biological development come to life at Johnson Camp Mine. In an industry that’s remained largely unchanged for centuries, copper mining is now being revolutionized by the power of biology.