Mining giant Vale pledged $875,000 over five years toward bioremediation research that aims to recover hidden nickel and cobalt from mining waste through the Mining Innovation, Rehabilitation, and Applied Research Corporation (Mirarco) at Laurentian University. The Ontario government will contribute $750,000. (The Logic)

Talking point: Amid a projected shortfall in critical minerals needed for the transition to electric vehicles, a report by Mirarco said there is $8 billion to $10 billion worth of nickel that can be sourced from waste in the Sudbury, Ont., region alone. The group also estimates there is $2.4 trillion worth of copper in mine waste worldwide and over $2 billion in minerals in Alberta oil sands waste, and that mining waste represents billions of dollars of government liabilities. Mirarco plans to build a new facility to commercialize bioremediation and bioleaching, where bacteria munch up the waste and convert it into usable minerals. Vale also announced it’s funding University of Toronto research to improve nickel recovery in Manitoba.