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Lecture #6
BioCOP technology
High concentrations of Cu (20-25g/L) are required if iron cementation is used, midrange concentrations (10-12 g/L) are used in solvent extraction.
Chalcopyrite bioleaching
Chalcopyrite dissolves in the presence of ferric ion (Fe3+) according to the following reaction: CuFeS2+ 4Fe3+pCu2+ + 5Fe2+ + 2S0 CuFeS2+ 4Fe3+ + 3O2+ 2H2O pCu2+ +5Fe2+ + 2H2SO4
Microorganisms
Amongst the microorganisms participating in copper bioleaching are: Iron-oxidising bacteria Sulfur-oxidising bacteria Heterotrophic bacteria (Ironoxidising bacteria are critical for keeping a high oxidising potential in solutions)
Bacteria
Mesophiles -30-42oC, rod-shaped bacteria with diameter of about 0.5-2.0 Qm
Copper bioleaching
Heap bioleaching
Copper is the metal recovered i the largest quantity by the heap bioleaching. The large copper leaching operation are those by Sociedad Contractual Minera El Abra and the Codelco Division Radimiro Tomic both in Chile producing 225 000 and 180 000 tonnes Cu per annum respectively. Gold ore is also preatreated by bioleaching in heaps by Newmont Mining in the Carlin Trend region, Nevada.
Heap creation
Copper ores containing such minerals as chalcocite (Cu2S) or covellite (CuS) are crushed, acidified with sulfuric acid and agglomerated in rotating drums to bind fine material to coarser agglomerates. These agglomerates are stacked in the heaps onto lined pads on the aeration pipes are placed. The stacked heaps are irrigated with an ironcontaining solution through a second system of pipes laid on the heap surface.
Drainage system
Top of heap
Heap bioleaching
Inoculum preparation station Heap
Bottom of heap
Leaching solution
Heap model
Copper bioleaching
In China, the first commercial plant of bioheap leaching with a capacity of 10,000 t Cu/a at the Zijinshan Copper Mine started operation by the end of 2005. The ore contained the relative high proportion of pyrite (up to 5.8%)
The companies have developed biooxidatio process for use in metal extraction
Newmount mining BIOPROTR Process heap leaching of refractory gold ore
BHP Billiton BioCOPTM Process agitated tank oxidation and Ltd. bioleaching of copper sulfide BioNICTM Process agitated tank oxidation and leaching of nickel sulfides BioZINCTM Process agitated tank oxidation and leaching zinc sulfides Godl FieldsnLtd. Bac Tech Environmet Geo Biotics Inc. BIOXTM Process agitated tank oxidation and leaching of copper sulfides BacTech/Mintek Process agitated tank oxidation and leaching of copper sulfides GEOCOATTM Process heap leaching sulfide mineral concentrates
Nickel
The nickel mineral most commonly mined is pentlandite (Fe,Ni)9S8. Nickel sulfide millerite NiS. Billiton developed a process named BioNICTM to treat low-grade nickel ores, based on the gold bioleaching. Nickel could be recovery from lateritic ores using heterotrophic microorganism such as Aspergillus niger and Penicillium.
Talvivaara dopsit
The Talvivara deposit is the largest in the world nickel deposit with 340 Mt of ore with an average contents of 0.27% Ni, 0.02% Co and 0.56% Zn. Heap bioleaching would make Talvivaara the most attractive source of Ni in the whole of Europe.
Zinc
Cobalt
Bioleaching of cobalt-containing pyrite from KCC Kasese industrial operation. The amount of flotation concentrate was approximately 900 000t and contained approximately 80% pyrite and 1.38 % cobalt. The gangue minerals are mostly quartz, silicates and gypsum. The predominat organisms:Letospirillum (tow different strains), Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans, Acidithiobacillus caldus, Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans.
Optimum growth temperature: 35OC Solids concentration: 10-15 % by weight Particle size: all particles ground to smaller than 63Qm pH in the tanks : between 1.3 and 2.0