Bioleaching of a Copper-Zinc Concentrate with High Arsenic Content

Elkina, Yu. A.; Melamud, V. S.; Булаев, А. Г.

doi:10.1134/s002626172006003x

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…thermosulfidooxidans was also found to exclusively dominate the bioleaching culture of a chalcopytite concentrate originally inoculated with a total of 12 moderately thermophilic acidophiles. Elkina et al (2021) studied the bioleaching of a chalcopyrite/tennantite/sphalerite concentrate using a mixed culture of At. caldus MBC-1, Sb.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…MBA-1 at a pulp density of 2% and varying temperatures (40–60°C). The authors reported that Cu leaching improved with increasing temperature and in the presence of yeast extract, while zinc leaching was less dependent on temperature and yeast extract ( Elkina et al, 2021 ): Cu leaching was maximised at 60°C, suggesting that Sb. thermosulfidooxidans plays a dominant and important role in the system.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As seen in our study, Eh was microbiologically controlled (presumably by Sb. thermosulfidooxidans ) at <700 mV under these conditions ( Elkina et al, 2021 ). Arsenic leaching was also strongly suppressed due to the this low Eh and high temperature suitable for ferric arsenate precipitation.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bioleaching of tennantite concentrate: influence of microbial community and solution redox potential

Kondo,

Hayashi,

Phann

et al. 2024

Front. Microbiol.

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Despite its growing importance as a Cu resource, studies on tennantite bioleaching are highly limited. One of the key challenges in processing such Cu-As sulfides is their refractoriness and the solubilisation of toxic As. The ultimate goal is to achieve selective bioleaching of Cu with simultaneous immobilisation of As in the leach residues. This study investigated the effectiveness of activated carbon (AC)-assisted bioleaching of tennantite concentrate using a mixed culture containing various “strong” and “weak” Fe-oxidising bacteria/archaea plus a S-oxidising bacterium, with particular emphasis on controlling the solution redox potential (Eh). In the initial flask bioleaching tests, a steady increase in Eh (up to 840 mV) was observed, reflecting the activity of “strong” Fe-oxidisers. In this situation, AC dosing effectively suppressed the Eh value and the highest Cu dissolution (70%) was obtained in the AC-0.01% system, while simultaneously immobilising As. In order to maximise Cu dissolution and As immobilisation, it was found preferable to target the Eh range of 650–700 mV during bioleaching. The next bioreactor tests used the mixed culture of the same origin, but had been subcultured a few generations further on tennantite concentrate. The Eh level remained unexpectedly low (~630 mV) for most of the leaching period, regardless of the AC dosage. It was later found that the bioreactor systems were almost exclusively dominated by Sb. thermosulfidooxidans, a “weak” Fe oxidiser with high Cu/As tolerance. In this case, there was no need to artificially suppress the Eh level by AC dosing and Cu leached readily to a final Cu dissolution of ~60% while As dissolution was suppressed to ~15%. Thus, depending on the microbial community that develops at the processing site, Eh control can be achieved either naturally by the activity of “weak” Fe-oxidisers as the predominant survivors under high Cu/As stress, or artificially by the addition of an Eh regulator such as a carbon catalyst.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%