Bio-Mining TEA
A fully annotated, open-access TEA for chalcopyrite copper bio-leaching — built with Homeworld Collective as a public example of what good looks like.
We wish there were more public, early-stage TEA examples — so we built one. This model covers chalcopyrite copper bio-leaching, co-developed with Homeworld Collective, and is designed to be explored, adapted, and learned from.
What’s included
The model — A full Excel TEA, open-access and annotated. Every assumption is sourced, every tab is explained. It’s built at TEA-RL 2/3, which means it has enough depth to be useful without requiring specialist knowledge to navigate.
The guide — A step-by-step walkthrough of the model structure, methodology, and key assumptions. If you’re new to TEA, start here before opening the spreadsheet.
The blog post — The story behind this TEA: why bio-mining, why this process, and what we learned building a public example from scratch.
How to use it
This model is a learning tool, not a template to copy. The specific numbers won’t apply to your technology — but the structure, the level of detail, and the way assumptions are documented are all things you can bring to your own TEA.
Pay particular attention to how the model handles uncertainty: ranges rather than point estimates, sensitivity analysis on the top drivers, and honest flags where data is thin.