Phosphorus removal from Nigerias Agbaja iron ore by solubilization with Eurotium herbariorum

Abstract

Phosphorus is an unwanted component of iron ore. Its removal from Nigeria's Agbaja iron ore by solubilization with Eurotium herbariorum isolated from the ore samples has been achieved using the submerged culture technique. Result obtained shows 61.48% removal of P in 10 weeks through the biomass growth and activities of the filamentous fungus. The biomass dry weight of the fungus increased from an initial 1 g (dry weight of inoculums) to a maximum 3.021 g weight in 3 weeks only to drop to 0.486 g by the end of experiment. The ability of the fungus to metabolize the phosphorus in ore was noticed to increase with biomass weight but hindered over time. Extended duration of degradation after 7th week did not necessarily bring about more P removal. Phosphorus utilization by the fungus resulted in its growth and concomitant production of acidic metabolic products and adsorption of detectable concentrations of iron, copper, lead, zinc, cadmium and manganese from the ore samples. It is therefore suggestive that the fungus activity can enhance the purity of ores and if the metabolic wastes associated with the process are timely and well managed, it is possible degradation could be continuous in view of microbial exponential growth rate.

Production of Low-Phosphorus Molten Iron from High-Phosphorus Oolitic Hematite Using Biomass Char

“…Because of their complicated mineral structure, conventional beneficiation methods face great difficulties in further removing phosphorus from these ores. Various processes have been developed to process oolitic high-phosphorus iron ore or similar minerals around the world; these processes can be divided into biological, 4,5 hydrometallurgical, [6][7][8] and pryometallurgical routes. [9][10][11][12][13][14] Biological methods require a long processing duration, and thus result in low productivity.…”

Kinetics of Phosphorus Removal from High-Phosphorus Iron Ores by HCl Leaching

“…High-phosphorus iron ores belong to refractory ores, which limits its application in the industry. How to remove phosphorus is the key factor for using the high-phosphorus iron ore resources [2]. In current research, reverse-flotation method, acid leaching method and microbial leaching method are the main treatment routes [3].…”