Biomineralization of metal-containing ores and concentrates

Rawlings, Douglas E.; Dew, D.W.; Plessis, Chris A. du

doi:10.1016/s0167-7799(02)00004-5

Cited by 300 publications

(154 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Details of these different engineering configurations and variants on them, such as the coating of inert rock particles with high-value sulfide concentrates in heap reactors, can be found in various reviews (e.g. Rawlings et al, 2003;Harvey & Bath, 2007). Mineral heaps and stirred tanks provide very different environments and challenges for mineral-leaching micro-organisms, and different 'optimal' populations might be expected to emerge with similar target minerals depending on the reactor used.…”

Section: Engineered Configurations For Biominingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The microbiology of biomining: development and optimization of mineral-oxidizing microbial consortia

2007

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Biomining, the use of micro-organisms to recover precious and base metals from mineral ores and concentrates, has developed into a successful and expanding area of biotechnology. While careful considerations are made in the design and engineering of biomining operations, microbiological aspects have been subjected to far less scrutiny and control. Biomining processes employ microbial consortia that are dominated by acidophilic, autotrophic iron-or sulfur-oxidizing prokaryotes. Mineral biooxidation takes place in highly aerated, continuous-flow, stirred-tank reactors or in irrigated dump or heap reactors, both of which provide an open, non-sterile environment. Continuous-flow, stirred tanks are characterized by homogeneous and constant growth conditions where the selection is for rapid growth, and consequently tank consortia tend to be dominated by two or three species of micro-organisms. In contrast, heap reactors provide highly heterogeneous growth environments that change with the age of the heap, and these tend to be colonized by a much greater variety of micro-organisms. Heap micro-organisms grow as biofilms that are not subject to washout and the major challenge is to provide sufficient biodiversity for optimum performance throughout the life of a heap. This review discusses theoretical and pragmatic aspects of assembling microbial consortia to process different mineral ores and concentrates, and the challenges for using constructed consortia in non-sterile industrial-scale operations.

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Section: Engineered Configurations For Biominingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The microbiology of biomining: development and optimization of mineral-oxidizing microbial consortia

2007

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“…Dve glavne kompanije su u početku bile uključene u razvoj procesa reaktora sa mešanjem za tretman zlatonosnog arsenopiritnog koncentrata Gencor (Južna Afrika), koja je komercijalizovala BIOX ® proces koji je funkcionisao na oko 40 o C i BacTech (Australija) čiji BACOX proces se odvijao na 50-55 o C [16,17]. U tabeli 1. je dat pregled komercijalnih reaktora za biološku oksidaciju kao predtretman za dobijanje koncentrata zlata.…”

Section: Biološko Luženje Polimetaličnih Ruda Koje Sadrže Zlatounclassified

Biological oxidation of polymetallic ores as a potential possibility for the treatment of ore from the Coka Marin

Maluckov¹

2014

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“…However, the high costs and intensive energy needs associated with such chemical or physical treatments of silicate minerals have been mentioned as the main drawbacks for application of these methods (Gerdemann et al, 2007;Huijgen et al, 2003;Renforth et al, 2011;Sipilä et al, 2008). Therefore, recently, the application of biological processes as a more cost-efficient method for enhancing the dissolution of alkaline silicates has been investigated (Bennett et al, 2001;Pokrovsky et al, 2009;Rawlings et al, 2003;Ullman et al, 1996;Welch & Ullman, 1993;Wogelius & Walther, 1991). Microbial processes can primarily increase the dissolution rate of silicate minerals by modifying the environmental conditions such as pH reduction by e.g.…”

Section: Challenges For Application Of Mineral Co 2 Sequestrationmentioning

confidence: 99%