This work was carried out in the frame of Bioshale (European project contract NMP2-CT-2004 505 710). The authors acknowledge the financial support given to this project by the European Commission under the Sixth Framework Programme for Research and Development. We wish to thank H. Karas (president of KGHM Cuprum) and D. Morin (BRGM) who initiated this project in 2003 and TVK and KGHM Polska Miedz S. A. for their support during the project. We also wish to thank the representatives of our various partners and the members of the executive board for their contributions to the work reported in this paper: Thierry Auge and Dominique Morin (BRGM); Jan Pasava and Anna Vymazalova (CGS); Andrzej Grotowski and Barbara Pakulska (Cuprum); Franz Glombitza and Jana Pinka (GEOS); Jorg Langwaldt and Lasse Ahonen (GTK); Kirsti Loukola-Ruskeeniemi and Olof Forsen (HUT); Witold Charewicz, Tomasz Chmielewski, Andrzej Luszczkiewicz and Zygmunt Sadowski (PWR); Jesus Palma and Francisco Sanchez (TR); Stoyan Groudev and Irena Spasova (UMGS); Teresa Farbiszewska and Jadwiga Farbiszewska-Kiczma (UO); Barrie Johnson and Kevin Hallberg (UWB); Aleksandra Sklodowska and Renata Matlak0wska (UW-FB); Paul Norris (Warwick) and all our colleagues from the different organisation who participated in this project.