The origin of a rational (scientific) approach to extraction of metal values from ores with the aid of microorganisms (bioleaching) is traced. The removal by microbiological means of ore constituents that interfere with metal extraction (biobeneficiation), an outgrowth from bioleaching, is also traced. © 2004 SDU. All rights reserved.

bioleaching processes for extraction of cu and mo from molybdenite cons. are more environmentally friendly and consume less energy than conventional technologies, yet less economically efficient. one necessary step towards arriving at a cost-effective bioleaching process is using appropriate methodology to optimize pertinent factors in such processes. to this end, the present study employed res...

An electrode system to study the mechanism of fine microgram powder sulfide mineral dissolution was developed by using a relatively simple method that enables the attachment of micrograms of fine powder to a platinum plate surface. This system yields highly reproducible results and is sensitive compared with conventional electrode systems for various sulfide minerals such as pyrite, chalcopyrit...

Although bioleaching was used unknowingly by the ancients to extract metals (principally copper) from ores, the development of modern commercial bioleaching processes is relatively new. It began in the late 1940s, with the discovery of the role of bacteria in the formation of acid mine drainage. From there, research and development activities in the field flourished, and the earliest commercial...

The use of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans bacteria in the process of copper and iron leaching from chalcopyrite coming from Kotlina Ktodzka was investigated. The influence of the mineral content in the leaching solution the pH value and refinement of chalcopyrite on the subsequent stages of leaching was established. The process was described by the 1st order reaction inhibited by one of the products...

Iron-oxidizing thiobacilli were adapted to grow on a chalcopyrite and a galena ore concentrate. When grown on the chalcopyrite concentrate, the bacteria exhibited a doubling time of 38.4 +/- 2.9 h, with a final cellular protein concentration of 185 mug/ml and solubilization of 10.3 g of copper per liter. When grown on the galena ore concentrate, the generation time was 39.6 +/- 2.7 h, with a fi...

To effectively monitor microbial populations in acidic environments and bioleaching systems, a comprehensive 50-mer-based oligonucleotide microarray was developed based on most of the known genes associated with the acidophiles. This array contained 1,072 probes in which there were 571 related to 16S rRNA and 501 related to functional genes. The functional genes in the microarray were involved ...

This review has as its underlying premise the need to become proficient in delivering a suite of element or metal products from polymetallic ores to avoid the predicted exhaustion of key metals in demand in technological societies. Many technologies, proven or still to be developed, will assist in meeting the demands of the next generation for trace and rare metals, potentially including the br...

bioleaching of spent refinery processing catalysts using adapted indigenous strains ofacidithiobacillus ferrooxidans to recover ni and mo, and the separation of ni from bioleaching liquor usingiron magnetic nanoparticles were optimized in this study. bioleaching optimization was performed usingcentral composite design (ccd) method to optimize temperature (32 to 38oc), initial ph (1.5 to 2), par...