en.Wedoany.com Reported - A cement made from mining tailings promises to transform waste management in Chile's mining industry. CemVivo® was developed by the Industrial Biotechnology and Bioproduct Development Center under DOMOLIF and has been officially unveiled in Antofagasta, with local government officials, representatives from the innovation ecosystem, academia, and industry attending the launch event.
The product embodies the application of the circular economy in the mining sector, transforming tailings into a durable material that offers construction performance with lower environmental impact, and promoting the expansion of biomining solutions from the regional to the national and international levels.
CemVivo® combines mining tailings with a bio-cementing microorganism to generate a construction material that can replace traditional cement. The project leader stated that only a small fraction of the tailings generated annually in Chile would be sufficient to replace the country's total annual cement consumption.
DOMOLIF's three founders—Pamela Chávez, Johanna Obreque, and Andrea Contreras—emphasized: "CemVivo® was born from the belief that waste is not a problem, but an opportunity. Through biotechnology and applied innovation, we are transforming mining tailings into sustainable solutions, moving towards more circular mining and an industry with lower environmental impact." They added: "The certification and consolidation of the CemVivo® brand is an important step to enable this technology to exert a broader influence within the Chilean industry."
Ricardo Díaz Cortés, Governor of the Antofagasta Region, pointed out that public funding is crucial for applied research. "Scientific knowledge allows us to address the region's problems with tailings and mining waste. DOMOLIF, with the applied research of its women scientists, has the capacity to tackle these challenges and find solutions."
During the event, Technology Manager Johanna Obreque and Tailings Area Lead Héctor Vega presented the project results. They stated that CemVivo®'s main advantage lies in converting Chile's abundant waste into a useful new material with low environmental impact and high substitution potential. The project also promotes regional capacity building through the application of knowledge, technical training, and the promotion of the circular economy.
The launch also featured a presentation on "The Challenges of 3D Printing and the Contribution of CemVivo®," led by architect Verónica Arcos from the Federico Santa María Technical University in Chile, who has already used the material in additive manufacturing prototypes, validating the product's technical feasibility.
The official launch of the CemVivo® registered trademark aims to bring this technology to broader industrial and commercial application scenarios. DOMOLIF, a women-led enterprise, is consolidating a biotechnology solution with intellectual property potential and industrial impact, strengthening the link between science, innovation, and sustainable development in Chile's mining industry.
This initiative aligns with Chile's current challenges in sustainability, circular economy, and industrial transformation. The development of CemVivo® demonstrates that research and development at the regional level can generate technologies with national and international impact, positioning Antofagasta as an innovation hub for low-environmental-impact mining solutions.
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