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Bioleaching of copper sulfides is catalyzed by iron-and sulfur-oxidizing acidophilic microorganisms attached to the mineral surface forming a biofilm. However, the link between copper sulfides bioleaching and biofilm formation is not yet fully understood. Understanding the factors that are limiting the bioleaching kinetics for different copper sulfide minerals through exhaustive mineralogical analysis of the mineral surface with concomitant biofilm formation during the leaching process will deliver new process conditions with enhanced kinetics and higher copper recovery. In this work we have developed and standardized a reproducible flow cell method able to mimic heap/dump bioleaching laminar flow conditions to study the mineralogical dynamics by advanced mineralogical analysis including QEMSCAN and SEM-EDS coupled to biofilm formation analysis. Based on this method, the bioleaching mineralogical …