• Resources Recycling
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.69-77
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• 2015

Heap bioleaching for detoxification of mine tailings is a promising technology; however, long-term studies that aim to understand the potential of this process are scarce. Therefore, this study assesses the feasibility of column bioleaching as an alternative technology for treatment of mine tailings with high concentrations of arsenic during a long-term experiment (436 days). To accomplish this objective, we designed a 350-mm plastic column that was packed with 750 g of mine tailings and inoculated with an acidophilic bacterial culture composed of A. thiooxidans and A. ferrooxidans. Redox potential, pH, ferric ion generation, and arsenic concentration of the off-solution were continuously monitored to determine the efficiency of the technology. After 436 days, we obtained up to 70% arsenic removal. However, several drops in removal rates were observed during the process; this was attributed to the harmful effect of arsenic on the bacteria consortium. We expect that this article will serve as a technical note for further studies on heap bioleaching of mine tailings.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.30-44
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• 2011

This review describes the involvement of different microorganisms for the recovery of uranium from the ore. Mainly Acidithiobacillus forrooxidans, Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and Leptospirillum ferrooxidans are found to be the most widely used bacteria in the bioleaching process of uranium. The bioleaching of uranium generally follows indirect mechanism in which bacteria provide the ferric iron required to oxidize $U^{4+}$. Commercial applications of bioleaching have been incorporated for extracting valuable metals, due to its favorable process economics and reduced environmental problems compared to conventional metal recovery processes such as smelting. At present the uranium is recovered through main bioleaching techniques employed by heap, dump and in situ leaching. Process development has included recognition of the importance of aeration of bioheaps, and improvements in stirred tank reactor design and operation. Concurrently, knowledge of the key microorganisms involved in these processes has advanced, aided by advances in molecular biology to characterize microbial populations.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.207-222
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• 2014

In order to recover the metallic copper powder from the mine-waste rock, heap bioleaching, Fe removal and electrowinning experiments were carried out. The results of heap leaching with the mine-waste rock sample containing 0.034% Cu showed that, the leaching rate of Cu were 61% and 62% in the bacteria leaching and sulfuric acid leaching solution, respectively. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) and calcium hydroxide ($Ca(OH)_2$) were applied to effectively remov Fe from the heap leaching solution, and then $H_2O_2$ was selected for the most effective removing Fe agent. In order to prepare the electrolytic solution, $H_2O_2$ were again treated in the heap leaching, and Fe removal rates were 99% and 60%, whereas Cu removal rates were 5% and 7% in the bacteria and sulfuric acid leaching solutions, respectively. After electrowinning was examined in these leaching solution, the recovery rates of Cu were obtained 98% in bacteria and obtained 76% in the sulfuric leaching solution. The dendritic form of metallic copper powder was recovered in both leaching solutions.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.3-7
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• 2020

Recently, the gold leaching technologies draw much interest to recover gold from low grade ores. Current leaching processes mostly use cyanide as the leaching agent, due to its high leaching efficiencies and cost-effectiveness. However, use of cyanide is severely problematic, because of toxicity and thereby environmental risks, and requires strict regulations and environmental management. Especially, this issue becomes further apparent when cyanide should be applied for dump or heap leaching for low cost gold recovery along with recent trends. To resolve this issue, the alternative leaching processes using thiosulfate or halogen compounds, instead of cyanide, have been studied and developed but there have been lots of difficulties toward commercialization, and therefore further research should be conducted. The commercialization of dump or heap bioleaching technologies should be urgently required for effective direct biogenic gold recovery from low grade ores or tailings without use of cyanide.