Review of the role of microbiology in the design and operation of heap bioleaching processes

Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy

Volumn 112, Issue 12, 2012, Pages 1005-1012

  Gericke, M ^a  

^a MINTEK   (South Africa)

Author keywords

Heap bioleaching; Microbiology; Operation; Process design

Indexed keywords

COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS; DESIGN AND OPERATIONS; ENGINEERING ASPECTS; HEAP BIOLEACHING; IRRIGATION EFFICIENCY; MICROBIAL POPULATIONS; OPERATION; RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT;

BIOLEACHING; COPPER; CRYSTALLOGRAPHY; EXTRACTION; GENETIC ENGINEERING; METAL RECOVERY; MICROBIOLOGY; MICROORGANISMS; MINERALOGY; MINERALS; ORE TREATMENT; PROCESS DESIGN;

ECONOMIC GEOLOGY;

EID: 84875875027     PISSN: 22256253     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Conference Paper

References (50)

1. AFRICA, C.-J., VAN HILLE, R.P., and HARRISON, S.T.L. 2009. Investigation and visualisation of microbial attachment trends to sulphide minerals in a bioleach environment. Advanced Materials Research, vol. 71-73. pp 345-348.
2. BLIGHT, K.R. and RALPH, D.E. 2008. Aluminium sulphate and potassium nitrate effects on batch culture of iron oxidising bacteria. Hydrometallurgy, vol. 92. pp. 130-134.
3. BLIGHT, K.R. and RALPH, D.E. 2004. Effect of ionic strength on iron oxidation with batch cultures of chemolithotrophic bacteria. Hydrometallurgy, vol. 73. pp. 325-334.
4. BOUFFARD, S.C. and DIXON, D.G. 2002. On the rate-limiting steps of pyritic refractory gold ore heap leaching: results from small and large column tests. Minerals Engineering, vol. 15. pp. 859-870. (Pubitemid 35476685)
5. BRIERLEY, C. 2001. Bacterial succession in bioheap leaching. Hydrometallurgy, vol. 59. pp. 249-255. (Pubitemid 32077444)
6. BRIERLEY, C.L. 2008. How will biomining be applied in future? Transactions of the Nonferrous Metals Society of China, vol. 18. pp. 1302-1310.
7. BRIERLEY, J.A. and HILL, D.L. 1993. Biooxidation process for recovery of gold from heaps of low-grade sulfidic and carbonaceous sulfidic ore materials. US Patent 5, 246, 486. September 21.
8. BRIERLEY, J.A. and KUHN, M.C. 2010. Fluoride toxicity in a chalcocite bioleach heap process. Hydrometallurgy, vol. 104. pp. 410-413.
9. BROMFIELD, L., AFRICA, C-J., HARRISON, S.T.L., and VAN HILLE, R.P. 2010 The effect of temperature on the attachment of Metallosphaera hakonensis to a copper sulphide concentrate with application to heap bioleaching. Bio and Hydrometallurgy '10, Cape Town, 8-9 November 2010. 23 pp.
10. CHUIME, R., MINNAAR, S., NGOMA, E., BRYAN, C., and HARRISON, S.T.L. 2010. Investigating microbial colonisation in bioheaps with varying irrigation rate. Bio and Hydrometallurgy '10, Cape Town, 8-9 November 2010. 19 pp.
11. CORAM-ULIANA, N.J., VAN HILLE, R.P., KOHR, W.J., and HARRISON, S.T.L. 2006. Development of a method to assay the microbial population in heap bioleaching operations. Hydrometallurgy, vol. 83. pp. 237-244. (Pubitemid 44118570)
12. CÓRDOBA, E.M., MUNÕZ, H.J.A., BLÁZQUEZ, M.L., GONZÁLEZ, F., and BALLESTER, A. 2008. Leaching of chalcopyrite with ferric iron. Part I: general aspects. Hydrometallurgy, vol. 93. pp. 81-97.
13. DAVIS-BELMAR, C.S., NICOLLE, J.L.C., and NORRIS, P.R. 2008. Ferrous iron oxidation and leaching of copper ore with halotolerant bacteria in ore columns. Hydrometallurgy, vol. 94. pp.144-147.
14. DEMERGASSO, C., GALLEGUILLOS, P., ESCUDERO, L., ZEPEDA, V., CASTILLO, D., and CASAMAYOR, E. 2005. Molecular characterization of microbial populations in low-grade copper ore bioleaching test heap. Hydrometallurgy, vol. 80. pp. 241-253. (Pubitemid 41690250)
15. DEW, D., STEYN, J.W., and MINNAAR, S.H. 2009. High temperature heap leaching process. World Patent WO 2009/059 336. May 7.
16. DOPSON, M., BAKER-AUSTIN, C., KOPPINEEDI, P.R., and BOND, P.L. 2003. Growth in sulphidic mineral environments: metal resistance mechanisms in acidophilic micro-organisms. Microbiology, vol.149. pp. 1959-1970. (Pubitemid 37038402)
17. DOPSON, M., HALINEN, A-K., RAHUNEN, N., BOSTRÖM, D., SUNDKVIST, J-E., RIEKKOLAVANHANEN, M., KAKSONEN, A.H., and PUHAKKA, J.A. 2008. Silicate mineral dissolution during heap bioleaching. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, vol. 99. pp. 811-820. (Pubitemid 351316623)
18. DU PLESSIS, C. 2003. Delivery system for heap bioleaching. World Patent WO 2, 003, 068, 999. August 21.
19. DU PLESSIS, C.A., BATTY, J.D., and DEW, D.W. 2007. Commercial application of thermophile bioleaching. Biomining. Rawlings, D.E. and Johnson, B.D. (eds.). Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, pp. 57-80.
20. GALLEGUILLOS, P.A., HALLBERG, K.B., and JOHNSON, D.B. 2009. Microbial diversity and genetic response to stress conditions of thermophilic bacteria isolated from the Escondida copper mine. Advanced Materials Research, vol. 71- 73. pp 55-58.
21. GERICKE, M., MULLER, H.H., NEALE, J.W., NORTON, A.E., and CRUNDWELL, F.K. 2005. Inoculation of heap-leaching operations. Proceedings of the 16th International Biohydrometallurgy Symposium 2005, Cape Town, South Africa.
22. GUNNERIUSSON, L., SANDSTRÖM, Å., HOLMGREN, A., KUZMANN, E., KOVACS, K., and VÉRTES, A. 2009. Jarosite inclusion of fluoride and its potential significance to bioleaching of sulphide minerals. Hydrometallurgy, vol. 96. pp. 108-116.
23. HAWKES, R.B., FRANZMANN, P.D., and PLUMB, J.J. 2006. Moderate thermophiles including 'Ferroplasma cupricumulans' sp. nov. dominate an industrialscale chalcocite heap bioleaching operation. Hydrometallurgy, vol. 83. pp. 229-236. (Pubitemid 44118569)
24. Hunter, C.J. 2001. A bacterially assisted heap leach. World Patent WO 0144, 519, 21. June 2001.
25. HUNTER, C.J. and WILLIAMS, T.L. 2002. Adaptation of bacteria for leaching, World Patent WO 02, 066, 689. August 29.
26. HUNTER, C.J. 2002. A method for the bacterially assisted heap leaching of chalcopyrite. World Patent 2002 70757 (A1) (US 2004 091984).
27. JOHNSON, D.B. and HALLBERG, K.B. 2007. Techniques for detecting and identifying acidophilic mineral-oxidizing microorganisms. Biomining. Rawlings, D.E. and Johnson, D.B. (eds.). Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg. pp. 237-262.
28. JOHNSON, D.B. 2008. Biodiversity and interactions of acidophiles: Key to understanding and optimizing microbial processing of ores and concentrates. Transactions of the Nonferrous Metals Society of China, vol. 18. pp. 1367-1373.
29. KING, J.A. 2001. Method for initiating heap bioleaching of sulfidic ores. US Patent 6, 207, 443. March 27.
30. LOGAN, T.C., SEAL, T., and BRIERLEY, J.A. 2007. Whole-ore heap biooxidation of sulfidic gold-bearing ores. Biomining. Rawlings, D.E. and Johnson, B.D. (eds.). Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg.. pp. 113-138.
31. MORALES, P. and BADILLA, R. 2010. Process to increase the bioleaching speed of ores or concentrates of sulphide metal species by means of continuous inoculation with leaching solution that contains isolated microorganisms, with or without native microorganisms. US Patent 7837760 B2. 23 November 2010.
32. OJUMU, T.V., PETERSEN, J., and HANSFORD, G.S. 2008. The effect of dissolved cations on microbial ferrous-iron oxidation by Leptospirillum ferriphilum in continuous culture. Hydrometallurgy, vol. 94. pp. 69-76.
33. OJUMU, T.V., PETERSEN, J., SEARBY, G.E., and HANSFORD, G.S. 2006. A review of rate equations proposed for microbial ferrous-iron oxidation with a view to application to heap bioleaching. Hydrometallurgy, vol. 83. pp. 21-28. (Pubitemid 44118551)
34. OKIBE, N. and JOHNSON, D.B. 2011. A rapid ATP-based method for determining active microbial populations in mineral leach liquors. Hydrometallurgy, vol. 108. pp. 195-198.
35. OKIBE, N., GERICKE, M., HALLBERG, K.B, and JOHNSON, D.B. 2003. Enumeration and characterization of acidophilic microorganisms isolated from a pilot plant stirred tank bioleaching operation. Applied Environmental Microbiology, vol. 69. pp. 1936-1943. (Pubitemid 36443605)
36. QIN, W., ZHEN, S., YAN, Z., CAMPBELL, M., WANG, J., LIU, K., and ZHANG, Y. 2009. Heap bioleaching of a low-grade nickel-bearing sulphide ore containing high levels of magnesium as olivine, chlorite and antigorite. Hydrometallurgy, vol. 98. pp. 58-65.
37. RAWLINGS, D.E. 2005. Characteristics and adaptability of iron-and sulphuroxidizing microorganisms used for the recovery of metals from minerals and their concentrates. Microbial Cell Factories, vol. 4. pp.13.
38. RAWLINGS, D.E. 2011. Some important developments in biomining during the past thirty years. 19th International Biohydrometallurgy Symposium, Changsha, China, 18-22 September 2011. pp. 3-12.
39. RAWLINGS, D.E. and JOHNSON, D.B. 2007. The microbiology of biomining: development and optimization of mineral-oxidizing microbial consortia. Microbiology, vol. 153. pp.315-324.
40. REMONSELLEZ, F., GALLEGUILLOS, F., JANSE VAN RENSBURG, S., RAUTENBACH, G.F., GALLEGUILLOS, P., CASTILLO, D., and DEMERGASSO C. 2007. Monitoring the microbial community inhabiting a low-grade copper sulfide ore by quantitative real-time PCR analysis of 16S rRNA genes. Advanced Materials Research, vol. 20-21. pp. 539-542.
41. RENMAN, R., XINGYU, L., GANG, Z., JINGHE, C., JIANKANG, W., and DIANZUO. 2011. Industrial practice of a distinct bioleaching system operated at low pH, high ferric concentration, elevated temperature and low redox potential for secondary copper sulphide. Hydrometallurgy, vol. 108. pp. 130-135.
42. RIEKKOLA-VANHANEN, M. 2010. Talvivaara Sotkamo mine-bioleaching of a polymetallic nickel ore in subarctic climate. Nova Biotechnologica, vol. 10. pp.7-13.
43. SAND, W., GEHRKE, T., and HALLMANN, R. 1995. Sulfur chemistry, biofilm, and the (in) direct attack mechanism a critical evaluation of bacterial leaching. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, vol. 43. pp. 961-966.
44. SAND, W. and GEHRKE, T. 2005. Extracellular polymeric substances mediate bioleaching/biocorrosion via interfacial processes involving iron(III) ions and acidophilic bacteria. Research in Microbiology, vol. 157. pp. 49-56. (Pubitemid 43202117)
45. SUNDKVIST, J.E., SANDSTRÖM, Å., GUNNERIUSSON, L., and LINDSTRÖM E.B. 2005. Fluorine toxicity in bioleaching systems. Proceedings of the 16th International Biohydrometallurgy Symposium 2005. Cape Town, South Africa. pp. 19-28.
46. VAN STADEN, P.J. 2008. Heap leach research at Mintek. ALTA 2008 Copper, Melbourne. ALTA Hydrometallurgical Services. 13 pp.
47. WATLING, H.R. 2006. The bioleaching of sulphide minerals with emphasis on copper sulphides-A review. Hydrometallurgy, vol. 84. pp. 81-108. (Pubitemid 44307480)
48. WATLING, H.R., ELLIOT, A.D., PERROT F.A., and SHIERS D.W. 2009. Impacts of mineralogy on the chemistry and microbiology of heap bioleaching. Advanced Materials Research, vol. 71-73. pp 369-372.
49. XINGYU, L., BOWEI, C., JIANKANG, W., and RENMAN, R. 2010. Leptospirillum forms a minor portion of the population in Zijinshan commercial non-aeration copper bioleaching heap identified by 16S rRNA clone libraries and realtime PCR. Hydrometallurgy, vol. 104. pp. 399-403.
50. ZAMMIT, C.M., MUTCH, L.A., WATLING, H.R., and WATKIN, E.L.J. 2009. The characterization of salt tolerance in biomining microorganisms and the search for novel salt tolerant strains. Advanced Materials Research, vol. 71-73. pp. 283-286.