Progress in bioleaching: part B, applications of microbial processes by the minerals industries

Abstract

This review provides an update to the last mini-review with the same title pertaining to recent developments in bioleaching and biooxidation published in 2013 (Brierley and Brierley). In the intervening almost 10 years, microbial processes for sulfide minerals have seen increased acceptance and ongoing but also declining commercial application in copper, gold, nickel and cobalt production. These processes have been applied to heap and tank leaching, nowadays termed biomining, but increasing concerns about the social acceptance of mining has also seen the re-emergence of in situ leaching and quest for broader applicability beyond uranium and copper. Besides metal sulfide oxidation, mineral dissolution via reductive microbial activities has seen experimental application to laterite minerals. And as resources decline or costs for their exploitation rise, mine waste rock and tailings have become more attractive to consider as easily accessible resources. As an advantage, they have already been removed from the ground and in some cases contain ore grades exceeding that of those currently being mined. These factors promote concepts of circular economy and efficient use and valorization of waste materials. Key points • Bioleaching of copper sulfide ore deposits is producing less copper today • Biooxidation of refractory gold ores is producing more gold than in the past • Available data suggest bioleaching and biooxidation processes reduce carbon emissions

Current Trends in Metal Biomining with a Focus on Genomics Aspects and Attention to Arsenopyrite Leaching—A Review

“…The first patent on the complex process of chemical and biological gold leaching was published in 1958 in the USA [ 5 ]. Bioleaching continues to be successful in industry [ 6 , 7 ], and interest in the industrial bioleaching valuable metals continues. An indicator of this interest is the number of claimed patents and submitted patent applications in the United States from 1988 to the present.…”

“…To provide optimal temperature conditions, industrial customers prefer vat leaching for heap leaching because use of the reactors (tanks) permits to provide optimal temperatures. The choice between leaching in a tank or in a heap is determined by the ambient temperature and the economic cost of heating the reactor [ 7 , 16 ].…”

“…There are a number of recent good reviews on metal mining/bioleaching (where biomining is limited with natural raw materials and bioleaching includes technogenic secondary sources) [ 1 , 7 , 10 , 19 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. Most of them are devoted to the successes in industrial bioleaching.…”

Sulfur enhancement effects for uranium bioleaching in column reactors from a refractory uranium ore

“…Bioleaching has been extensively applied in the extraction of metals (e.g., copper and gold) from low-grade ores (Klaus, 1997 ; Rawlings, 2002 ; Abhilash and Pandey, 2013a ; Srichandan et al, 2019 ; Wang et al, 2019 ; Kaksonen et al, 2020 ; Roberto and Schippers, 2022 ). It has been proved to be an effective approach to extract uranium from low-grade or complex refractory ores because of its economic feasible and environmentally sustainable (Tuovinen and Bhatti, 1999 ; Abhilash and Pandey, 2013a ; Wang et al, 2019 ; Kaksonen et al, 2020 ).…”

Hydrometallurgical Processing of Chalcopyrite by Attrition-Aided Leaching

“…Bioleaching has also been considered, but recent trends show that technological applications are scarce for copper sulfides. 10,11 Chalcopyrite leaching is very slow at moderate temperature, which is one of the main limiting factors in copper production in industrial conditions, but there is currently no consensus on the exact nature of the limiting step. Indeed, many authors (e.g., refs 12 and 13) base their explanation of dissolution inhibition on the formation of passivation layers around the solid particles of the mineral.…”