Bioleaching

Okay kiddo, so bioleaching is a way to get valuable minerals out of rocks using tiny living things like bacteria.

You see, some of these bacteria like to eat the minerals that are locked inside rocks, and as they do, they make acid. Just like how your tummy makes acid to digest food, these bacteria make acid to break down the minerals in the rock.

Scientists can use these bacteria to help extract things like copper, gold, and other metals from rocks. They put the bacteria in big tanks filled with water and rocks that contain the minerals they want.

The bacteria then start eating the minerals and making acid. The acid dissolves the minerals, which then seep into the water. After a while, the scientists can remove the water, which now contains the valuable minerals that the bacteria helped release from the rock.

So, in simple terms, bioleaching is using tiny living things to eat minerals in rocks and release them into water so that we can use them to make useful things like electronics, jewelry, and other cool stuff!