| 1. |
- Dopson, Mark, et al.
(författare)
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Silicate mineral dissolution during heap bioleaching
- 2008
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Ingår i: Biotechnology and Bioengineering. - : Wiley. - 0006-3592 .- 1097-0290. ; 99:4, s. 811-820
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Silicate minerals are present in association with metal sulfides in ores and their dissolution occurs when the sulfide minerals are bioleached in heaps for metal recovery. It has previously been suggested that silicate mineral dissolution can affect mineral bioleaching by acid consumption, release of trace elements, and increasing the viscosity of the teach solution. In this study, the effect of silicates present in three separate samples in conjunction with chalcopyrite and a complex multi-metal sulfide ore on heap bioleaching was evaluated in column bioreactors. Fe2+ oxidation was inhibited in columns containing chalcopyrite samples A and C that leached 1.79 and 1.11 mM fluoride, respectively but not in sample B that contained 0.14 mM fluoride. Microbial Fe2+ oxidation inhibition experiments containing elevated fluoride concentrations and measurements of fluoride release from the chalcopyrite ores supported that inhibition of Fe2+ oxidation during column leaching of two of the chalcopyrite ores was due to fluoride toxicity. Column bioleaching of the complex sulfide ore was carried out at various temperatures (7-50 degrees C) and pH values (1.5-3.0). Column leaching at pH 1.5 and 2.0 resulted in increased acid consumption rates and silicate dissolution such that it became difficult to filter the leach solutions and for the leach liquor to percolate through the column. However, column temperature (at pH 2.5) only had a minor effect on the acid consumption and silicate dissolution rates. This study demonstrates the potential negative impact of silicate mineral dissolution on heap bioleaching by microbial inhibition and liquid flow.
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| 2. |
- Dopson, Mark, et al.
(författare)
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Silicate mineral dissolution in the presence of acidophilic microorganisms : implications for heap bioleaching
- 2009
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Ingår i: Hydrometallurgy. - : Elsevier. - 0304-386X .- 1879-1158. ; 96:4, s. 288-293
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Silicate minerals are found with sulfide minerals and therefore, can be present during heap bioleaching for metal extraction. The weathering of silicate minerals by chemical and biological means is variable depending on the conditions and microorganisms tested. In low pH metal rich environments their dissolution can influence the solution chemistry by increasing pH, releasing toxic trace elements, and thickening of the leach liquor. The amenity of five silicate minerals to chemical and biological dissolution was tested in the presence of either ‘Ferroplasma acidarmanus’ Fer1 or Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans with olivine and hornblende being the most and least amenable, respectively. A number of the silicates caused the pH of the leach liquor to increase including augite, biotite, hornblende, and olivine. For the silicate mineral olivine, the factors affecting magnesium dissolution included addition of microorganisms and Fe2+. XRD analysis identified secondary minerals in several of the experiments including jarosite from augite and hornblende when the medium contained Fe2+. Despite acidophiles preferentially attaching to sulfide minerals, the increase in iron coupled with very low Fe2+ concentrations present at the end of leaching during dissolution of biotite, olivine, hornblende, and microcline suggested that these minerals supported growth. Weathering of the tested silicates would affect heap bioleaching by increasing the pH with olivine, fluoride release from biotite, and production of jarosite during augite and hornblende dissolution that may have caused passivation. These data have increased knowledge of silicate weathering under bioleaching conditions and provided insights into the effects on solution chemistry during heap bioleaching.
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