Reactor Bioleaching and Developments in Bioleaching of Concentrates

Lecture 5: Reactor Bioleaching And Developments In Bioleaching Of Concentrates NPTEL Web Course
Lecture 5
Reactor Bioleaching And Developments In Bioleaching Of
Concentrates
Keywords: , Reactor Leaching, Bioleaching Of Metal Concentrates, Recent Developments
Metal sulfide concentrates are generally bioleached in stirred tank reactors (agitation leaching).
Several designs of bioreactor configurations are available (Fig.5.1)
Feed
Air Input
Air Agitated Tank Reactor
Pachuca Reactor
Fig. 5.1: Typical bioreactor designs
1
Course Title: Metals Biotechnology
Course Co-ordinator: Prof. K. A. Natarajan, IISc Bangalore
Bioleaching of base metal concentrates
A number of companies have developed biooxidation processes for use in metal extraction.
Some of these have found commercial application while others are still in the experimental or
pilot plant stages:
Newmont Mining BIOPRO™ Process – heap leaching of refractory gold ores
Gold Fields, Ltd BIOX™ Process – agitated tank oxidation of refractory

gold ores
BHP Billiton, Ltd.

BioCOP™ Process– agitated tank oxidation and leaching
of copper sulfides
BioNIC™ Process – agitated tank oxidation and leaching
of nickel sulfides
BioZINC™ Process – agitated tank oxidation and leaching
of zinc sulfides
BacTech Enviromet BacTech/Mintek Process – agitated tank oxidation and

leaching of copper sulfides
GeoBiotics, Inc.
GEOCOAT™ Process – heap leaching sulfide mineral
concentrates
BacTech Enviromet Corp., in conjunction with Mintek, has developed proprietary technologies
for the high temperature leaching of copper concentrates. Working in conjunction with Industrias
2
Penoles SA de CV, they operated a 2.2-metric tons per day (mt/d) stirred-tank copper-
concentrate bioleach demonstration plant in Monterrey, Mexico during 2001.
BHP Billiton and Codelco, in a joint venture, Alliance Copper Ltd., constructed a demonstration
plant at Chuquicamata, Chile, to produce 20,000 tons of cathodes a year starting in 2003 using
Billiton’s patented BioCOP™ process, to treat dirty concentrates containing high levels of
arsenic (enargite, Cu3AsS4).
The following process developments are note-worthy:

The GEOCOAT™ Process — A heap leaching process capable of bioleaching base
metal and refractory sulfidic gold concentrates. The concentrate slurry is coated onto a
support rock, or substrate material, and stacked in a bioxidation heap. The ratio of
support rock to concentrate is in the range of 5:1 to 10:1 by weight. The heap can be
inoculated with thermophilic bacteria and a process leach solution consisting of sulfuric
acid, ferric iron and nutrients applied to the heap. Low-pressure blowers provide air
supply through a system of perforated pipes placed under the heap. The exothermic
nature of the oxidation reaction increases the heap temperature to at least 50°C.
The BioCOP™ Process — Carried out in a stirred reactor containing sulfuric acid into
which air is blown. Thermophilic microorganisms are used at a temperature between
60°C and 90°C. Limestone is used to maintain the pH of the solution and to provide
carbon dioxide for bacterial growth. Copper concentrate is fed to the reactor. Pregnant
solution containing 30-40 grams per liter is sent to solvent extraction – electrowinning.
Retention time is about 10 days.
The BacTech/Mintek Process —Countercurrent reactors used. Two proprietary

bioreactors were tested in Mexico; - (a) the Circox™ bioreactor developed for the
biotreatment of municipal sewage and industrial waste water and licensed from Paques
Bio Systems B.V. of the Netherlands. The Circox™ bioreactor used an airlift to circulate
3
the solids within the reactor, and (b) the BAR™ (BacTech Aerated Reactor).
Thermophilic microorganisms used at temperatures between 25°C and 55°C. A pH of 0.5
to 2.5 is maintained. Nutrients are added to the leach liquor. Retention time is about of
30 days.
Bioleaching parameters and developments:

Parameters influencing bioleaching are illustrated in table 5.1.
Table 5.1: Factors and parameters influencing bacterial mineral oxidation (Adapted from
H.Brandl; Microbial leaching of metals (www.wiley-vch.de/books/biotech/pdf/v10_branpdf))
Physicochemical Temperature Mass transfer, nutrients,

parameters pH Ferrous concentration
redox potential
oxygen, carbon dioxide
Microbiological factors Microbial diversity Metal tolerance and toxicity

Population diversity Whether adapted or not
and density
Spatial distribution
Mineral properties Mineral type and composition Surface area, galvanic

Mineral dissemination, interactions
porosity
Processing parameters Leaching mode (in situ, heap, Stirring rate (in case of tank
dump, or tank) leaching operations)
Pulp density Heap geometry (in case of heap
leaching)
4
Status of bioleaching for base metal and refractory gold-bearing concentrates.

Commercial viability of bioleaching proven for refractory gold concentrates
Mesophile bioleaching applied commercially for treatment of cobaltiferrous pyrite (Kasese,
Uganda)
Continuous high temperature thermophile bioleaching demonstrated at pilot scale for
chalcopyrite and pentlandite.
Construction of demonstration plants for treatment of copper concentrates.
Bioleaching is technically feasible and economically viable as a process option for treatment
of base metal and multimetal complex concentrates.
Biological extraction of cobalt from pyritic concentrates was commercialized in 1999. (BRGM,
France) at Kasese Project at the Kilembe mine in Uganda. An inoculum of mesophilic iron-
oxidizing bacteria used for bioleaching cobalt in a stirred-tank reactor system. The plant uses
solvent extraction-electrowinning for recovery of the cobalt. The promising developments in
bioleaching of cobalt and nickel may lead to immediate commercialization of
Biohydrometallurgical processing of base metals other than copper. Details of cobalt bioreactor
operations are given below:
Recovery of cobalt from cobalti-ferrous pyrite
Tonnage (t/d) : 241
Primary Reactor Size (m3) : 1350
Start Date : 1998
Cobalt Content (%) : 1.4
Sulphide Content (%) : 41
Challenges for commercial development
Slow leach kinetics and need for large reactors;
High power consumption for oxygen supply;
Confidence that high plant availability will be achieved;
Economic recovery of precious metals.
5
New developments in Biohydrometallurgical reactor designs

Aerated trough bioreactor
Low energy bioreactor
Falling laminar liquid film principle
Inclined plate bioreactor
Biorotor
Future biotechnological initiatives
Modelling, design and development of bioreactor assemblies-low energy-high efficiency-

stirred tank and Pachuca.
o New type of reactor of systems
Comprehensive study of microbial composition of both bioheap systems and stirred-tank
reactors-interactions among various microflora
Techniques to enhance biomass growth
o Electrochemical, Bacfox, inert substrates,
o Growth reactors-genetic engineering
Development of metal-tolerant and substrate-adapted special strains
o Genetically modulated super bugs!
Rapid, accurate and simple techniques to monitor bacterial activity in bioleach systems.
High temperature heap bioleaching (Inoculation of heaps)
High temperature tank bioleaching using thermophiles
Bioprocessing of dirty and complex ores and concentrates
Leaching of silicate-matrix minerals and alkaline ores
Agitated tank bioleaching for uranium concentrates
Nano particles produced by microbes – Biomaterials processing, Biomimetics.
Surfactants (flotation reagents, flocculants) through microbes in mineral beneficiation
Organic acid leaching using heterotrophic bacteria and fungi
Sulfate reduction in metals recovery and effluent disposal - Biogenic sulfides
Waste treatment (slags, ash, scrap) – Bioleaching to recover values from wastes.
6
References (Lectures 3-5):
7. Brierley C.L, Bacterial succession in bioheap leaching, Hydrometallurgy, 59 (2001), 249-

255.
8. Natarajan, K.A., 1998, ―Microbes, Minerals and Environment”, Geological Survey of India,
Bangalore.
9. Rossi, G., 1990, Biohydrometallurgy. McGraw Hill, New York.
10. Brierley, C.L., 1978, ―Bacterial leaching‖, CRC Critical Reviews in Microbiology, 4, pp.
207-262.
11. Brierley, C.L., August 1982, ―Microbiological mining‖, Scientific American, pp. 44-54.
12. Acevedo, F., Gentina, J.C. and Bustos, S., 1993, ―Bioleaching of minerals – a valid
alternative for developing countries‖, Journal of Biotechnology, 31, pp. 115-123.
13. Brierley, C,L., and Brierley, J.A., 2001, ―Present and future applications of
biohydrometallurgy,‖ Hydrometallurgy, 59, pp. 233-239.
14. Anon, May 31, 2002, ―Bioleaching Moves forward‖, Mining J., pp. 392.
15. Miller, P.C., Rhodes, M.K., Winby, R., Pinches, A. and Van Stadan, P.J., 1999, Minerals and
Metallurgical Processing, 16, pp. 42-50.
16. Olson G.J, Brierley J.A and Brierley C.L, Bioleachng Review Part B: Progress in
bioleaching: applications of microbial processes by the minerals industries, App. Microbiol.
Biotechnol 63, (2003), 249-257.
17. Gericke M, Neale J.W and van P.J Staden-A.Mintek perspective of the past 25 years
in minerals bioleaching, J.South African Inst. Min. Met., 109 (2009), 567 – 583.
7

Reactor Bioleaching and Developments in Bioleaching of Concentrates

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Reactor Bioleaching and Developments in Bioleaching of Concentrates

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Reactor Bioleaching and Developments in Bioleaching of Concentrates

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lecture 5: Reactor Bioleaching And Developments In Bioleaching Of Concentrates NPTEL Web Course

Air Agitated Tank Reactor

Fig. 5.1: Typical bioreactor designs

Bioleaching of base metal concentrates

Newmont Mining BIOPRO™ Process – heap leaching of refractory gold ores

Gold Fields, Ltd BIOX™ Process – agitated tank oxidation of refractory

BHP Billiton, Ltd.

BacTech Enviromet BacTech/Mintek Process – agitated tank oxidation and

The following process developments are note-worthy:

The BacTech/Mintek Process —Countercurrent reactors used. Two proprietary

Bioleaching parameters and developments:

Physicochemical Temperature Mass transfer, nutrients,

Microbiological factors Microbial diversity Metal tolerance and toxicity

Mineral properties Mineral type and composition Surface area, galvanic

Status of bioleaching for base metal and refractory gold-bearing concentrates.

New developments in Biohydrometallurgical reactor designs

Modelling, design and development of bioreactor assemblies-low energy-high efficiency-

References (Lectures 3-5):

7. Brierley C.L, Bacterial succession in bioheap leaching, Hydrometallurgy, 59 (2001), 249-

9. Rossi, G., 1990, Biohydrometallurgy. McGraw Hill, New York.

You might also like