Reductive leaching behaviour of manganese and cobalt phases in laterite and manganese ores

Moro, Kofi; Haubrich, Frank; Martin, Mirko; Grimmer, Marlies; Hoth, Nils; Schippers, Axel

doi:10.1016/j.hydromet.2023.106101

Cited by 9 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…did not have a significant effect on the bioleaching of laterite. Ferrous iron is considered to be an efficient reductant for several oxidized cobalt and nickel-bearing mineral phases in laterite throughout bioleaching with acidophiles ( Stanković et al, 2022 ; Moro et al, 2023 ; Santos and Schippers, 2023 ). However, during the oxidation of elemental sulfur by acidophiles under oxic conditions ferric iron is likely chemically reduced, probably by sulfur compounds formed during the process as suggested by Marrero et al (2020) .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A potential problem with aerobic bioleaching of limonitic laterites is that acidophilic ferrous iron-oxidizers such as Leptospirillum (L.) ferrooxidans would grow as contaminants in industrial bioleaching operations, which cannot run under sterile conditions ( Smith and Johnson, 2018 ). In this case, ferrous iron would be oxidized to ferric iron and the ferrous iron concentration in solution might be too low for an efficient reductive dissolution of laterite mineral phases with the reductant ferrous iron ( Moro et al, 2023 ). To address this concern, this study presents a couple of aerobic, stirred-tank bioleaching experiments in which iron-oxidizing acidophiles ( Leptospirillum ) were added to sulfur-oxidizing acidophiles ( Acidithiobacillus ) in co-culture, and the bioleaching efficiency was evaluated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Do ferrous iron-oxidizing acidophiles (Leptospirillum spp.) disturb aerobic bioleaching of laterite ores by sulfur-oxidizing acidophiles (Acidithiobacillus spp.)?

Hetz,

Schippers

2024

Front. Microbiol.

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The extraction of nickel, cobalt, and other metals from laterite ores via bioleaching with sulfur-oxidizing and ferric iron-reducing, autotrophic, acidophilic bacteria (e.g. Acidithiobacillus species) has been demonstrated under anaerobic as well as aerobic conditions in experiments in different laboratories. This study demonstrated the bioleaching of laterites from Brazil with the addition of elemental sulfur in 2-L stirred-tank bioreactors with pure and mixed cultures of Acidithiobacillus and Sulfobacillus species under aerobic conditions. In particular, a potential disturbance of mineral dissolution under aerobic conditions by ferrous iron-oxidizing acidophiles likely introduced as contaminants in an applied bioleaching process was investigated with Leptospirillum ferrooxidans at 30°C and Leptospirillum ferriphilum at 40°C, at maintained pH 1.5 or without maintained pH leading to an increase in acidity (with pH values <1.0) due to the biological production of sulfuric acid. Despite the proportion of ferrous iron to the total amount of extracted iron in the solution being drastically reduced in the presence of Leptospirillum species, there was a negligible effect on the extraction efficiency of nickel and cobalt, which is positive news for laterite bioleaching under aerobic conditions.

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