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Council for Mineral Technology
Presentation to Mintek 75 Technical ConferenceLandmarks in Minerals Biotechnology
04 June 2009
Petrus J. van StadenManager, Biotechnology Division, Mintek.
Colleagues:
• John Neale, • Mariekie Gericke, • Peter Craven
• Dr Tony Pinches
• Permission of Mintek.
Acknowledgements
Minerals Biotechnology
The utilization of the biochemical processes of micro organisms in
the exploitation of mineral resources
Minerals Biotechnology
40oC
1 atm
pH = 1
Redox = 650 mV (Ag/AgCl)
30 kg O2 / d / m3
DO = 1 ppm
O2 Utilisation 40%
Establishment of Minerals Metabolising Microbes
(What’s in it for the bugs ?)
Fe2+ + ¼ O2 + H3O+ è Fe3+ + 3/2H2O ΔG = -10.6 kcal/molΔH = -24.6 kcal/mol
S + 3/2 O2 + 3/2 H2O è SO42- + 2H3O+ ΔG = -120.7 kcal/mol
ΔH = -148.5 kcal/mol
Biominingmicroorganisms
Fe2+
Fe3+
SO42- + 2H+
S0
M2+
M2+
Metal sulfide ores (MFeS2) Biomining
microorganismsFe2+
Fe3+
SO42- + 2H+
S0
M2+
M2+
M2+
M2+
Metal sulfide ores (MFeS2)
What’s in it for the bugs?
• 1556: H2SO4 by pyrite heap bioleaching. (Georgius Agricola, De Re Metallica 1556, as per Andy Carter in Wardrop)
• 1680: Antoni van Leeuwenhoek discovers bacteria. (D. BARDELL, MICROBIOLOGICAL REVIEWS, Mar. 1982, p. 121-126)
• Pasteurization 1865 (Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation )
• 1890’s: Heaps of low-grade ore, left for one to three years for "natural" decomposition (Salkield L.U. (1987) A technical history of the Rio Tinto mines: …)“Spanish Climate”
Some Milestones (1)
http://wiki.biomine.skelleftea.se/wiki/index.php/History_of_biohydrometallurgy#_ref-20
• 1556: H2SO4 by pyrite heap bioleaching. (Georgius Agricola, De Re Metallica 1556, as per Andy Carter in Wardrop)
• 1680: Antoni van Leeuwenhoek discovers bacteria. (D. BARDELL, MICROBIOLOGICAL REVIEWS, Mar. 1982, p. 121-126)
• Pasteurization 1865 (Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation )
• 1890’s: Heaps of low-grade ore, left for one to three years for "natural" decomposition (Salkield L.U. (1987) A technical history of the Rio Tinto mines: …)“Spanish Climate”
• 1895: Was shown that living matter could reduce sulfate to sulfide in sediments under anaerobic conditions. (Beijerinck, Bakteriol. Abt. 2, 1 (1895), 49-59 )
• 1947: Thiobacillus ferrooxidans was identified (Colmer A.R., Hinkle M.E. (1947). Science 106:253 - 256 ) (later reclassified as Acidithiobacillus )
• 1950's: Leach-dumps (Brierley, 2007)
• 1965: Discovery of the first iron- and sulfur oxidizing archaea (Brierley 2007)
Some Milestones (1)
http://wiki.biomine.skelleftea.se/wiki/index.php/History_of_biohydrometallurgy#_ref-20
• 1556: H2SO4 by pyrite heap bioleaching. (Georgius Agricola, De Re Metallica 1556, as per Andy Carter in Wardrop)
• 1680: Antoni van Leeuwenhoek discovers bacteria. (D. BARDELL, MICROBIOLOGICAL REVIEWS, Mar. 1982, p. 121-126)
• Pasteurization 1865 (Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation )
• 1890’s: Heaps of low-grade ore, left for one to three years for "natural" decomposition (Salkield L.U. (1987) A technical history of the Rio Tinto mines: …)“Spanish Climate”
• 1895: Was shown that living matter could reduce sulfate to sulfide in sediments under anaerobic conditions. (Beijerinck, Bakteriol. Abt. 2, 1 (1895), 49-59 )
• 1947: Thiobacillus ferrooxidans was identified (Colmer A.R., Hinkle M.E. (1947). Science 106:253 - 256 ) (later reclassified as Acidithiobacillus )
• 1950's: Leach-dumps (Brierley, 2007)
• 1965: Discovery of the first iron- and sulfur oxidizing archaea (Brierley 2007)
• 1970’s and 1980’s: Uranium market decline• 1980: Lo Aguirre, first heap bioleaching plant (Raedett In Aus Biotech, 2001)
Some Milestones (1)
http://wiki.biomine.skelleftea.se/wiki/index.php/History_of_biohydrometallurgy#_ref-20
• 1984: MINTEK 50
• 1985: Experiments on in-situ uranium heap leaching using intermittent flooding and forced aeration (Wadden and Gallant in Minerals Engineering, 1996).
• 1986: Fairview: first commercial refractory gold (agitated tank) bioleach plant
Some Milestones (2)
http://wiki.biomine.skelleftea.se/wiki/index.php/History_of_biohydrometallurgy#_ref-20
• 1984: MINTEK 50
• 1985: Experiments on in-situ uranium heap leaching using intermittent flooding and forced aeration (Wadden and Gallant in Minerals Engineering, 1996).
• 1986: Fairview: first commercial refractory gold bioleach plant
• 1987+: Paques anaerobic technologies for effluent treatment (ref 1895)
• 1993: Forced aeration on heap bioleach, Girilambone (Raedett, 2001)
• 1997 - 2000: BioNic® and BioZinc® development
• 1999: Kasese Co (from pyrite) bioleach plant, Uganda (Briggs & Millard, 1998)
Some Milestones (3)
http://wiki.biomine.skelleftea.se/wiki/index.php/History_of_biohydrometallurgy#_ref-20
• 1984: MINTEK 50
• 1985: Experiments on in-situ uranium heap leaching using intermittent flooding and forced aeration (Wadden and Gallant in Minerals Engineering, 1996).
• 1986: Fairview: first commercial refractory gold bioleach plant
• 1987+: Paques anaerobic technologies for effluent treatment (ref 1895)
• 1993: Forced aeration on heap bioleach, Girilambone (Raedett, 2001)
• 1997 - 2000: BioNic® and BioZinc® development
• 1999: Kasese Co (from pyrite) bioleach plant, Uganda (Briggs & Millard, 1998)
• 1999: Beaconsfield refractory gold bioleach plant (Neale in J. SAIMM)
• 2001: Uranium price all-time low (Uranium 2005 Resources, Production and Demand)
• 2002: Peñoles, Mintek, BacTech Chalcopyrite concentrate bioleach pilot plant, Mexico
Some Milestones (3)
http://wiki.biomine.skelleftea.se/wiki/index.php/History_of_biohydrometallurgy#_ref-20
• 1984: MINTEK 50• 1985: Experiments on in-situ uranium heap leaching using intermittent flooding and
forced aeration (Wadden and Gallant in Minerals Engineering, 1996).
• 1986: Fairview: first commercial refractory gold bioleach plant 1993: Forced aeration on heap bioleach, Girilambone (Raedett, 2001)
• 1987+: Paques anaerobic technologies for effluent treatment (ref 1895)• 1993: Forced aeration on heap bioleach, Girilambone (Raedett, 2001)
• 1997 - 2000: BioNic® and BioZinc® development• 1999: Kasese Co (from pyrite) bioleach plant, Uganda (Briggs & Millard, 1998)
• 1999: Beaconsfield refractory gold bioleach plant (Neale in J. SAIMM)
• 2001: Uranium price all-time low (Uranium 2005 Resources, Production and Demand)
• 2002: Peñoles, Mintek, BacTech Chalcopyrite concentrate bioleach pilot plant, Mexico,
• 2002: BHP Billiton / Alliance Copper commercial demonstration plant for copper-enargite concentrate by Alliance Copper, and
• 2002: GEOCOAT Thermophilic Bioleaching of Chalcopyrite Concentrates, Field Trials (Harvey, Holder. Alta 2002 Ni/Co Conference)
• 2006: High temperature heap bioleaching, transitional primary/secondary copper ore (Mintek)
Some Milestones (4)
http://wiki.biomine.skelleftea.se/wiki/index.php/History_of_biohydrometallurgy#_ref-20
• 1984: MINTEK 50• 1985: Experiments on in-situ uranium heap leaching using intermittent flooding and forced
aeration (Wadden and Gallant in Minerals Engineering, 1996).
• 1986: Fairview: first commercial refractory gold bioleach plant 1993: Forced aeration on heap bioleach, Girilambone (Raedett, 2001)
• 1987+: Paques anaerobic technologies for effluent treatment (ref 1895)
• 1993: Forced aeration on heap bioleach, Girilambone (Raedett, 2001)
• 1997 - 2000: BioNic® and BioZinc® development
• 1999: Kasese Co (from pyrite) bioleach plant, Uganda (Briggs & Millard, 1998)
• 1999: Beaconsfield refractory gold bioleach plant (Neale in J. SAIMM)
• 2001: Uranium price all-time low (Uranium 2005 Resources, Production and Demand)
• 2002: Peñoles, Mintek, BacTech Chalcopyrite concentrate bioleach pilot plant, Mexico,
• 2002: BHP Billiton / Alliance Copper commercial demonstration plant for copper-enargite concentrate by Alliance Copper, and
• 2002: GEOCOAT Thermophilic Bioleaching of Chalcopyrite Concentrates, Field Trials (Harvey, Holder. Alta 2002 Ni/Co Conference)
• 2006: High temperature heap bioleaching, transitional primary/secondary copper ore (Mintek)
• 2006/7: Uranium market recovery
Some Milestones (4)
http://wiki.biomine.skelleftea.se/wiki/index.php/History_of_biohydrometallurgy#_ref-20
• High temperature heap bioleaching
• High temperature tank bioleaching
– (identification techniques, inoculation of heaps)
• Adaptation to increasingly dirty and complex ores and concentrates
• Leaching of silicate-matrix minerals
• Uranium heap bioleaching
• Uranium agitated tank bioleaching
• Nano particles produced by microbes
Minerals Biotechnology Ahead
http://wiki.biomine.skelleftea.se/wiki/index.php/History_of_biohydrometallurgy#_ref-20
• High temperature heap bioleaching
• High temperature tank bioleaching
– (identification techniques, inoculation of heaps)
• Adaptation to increasingly dirty and complex ores and concentrates
• Leaching of silicate-matrix minerals
• Uranium heap bioleaching
• Uranium agitated tank bioleaching
• Nano particles produced by microbes
• Surfactants (flotation reagents, flocculants)
Minerals Biotechnology Ahead
http://wiki.biomine.skelleftea.se/wiki/index.php/History_of_biohydrometallurgy#_ref-20
EPS
EPS-covered cells of L. ferrooxidans at/in pits on a pyrite surface (W. Sand)
Applications: Bioflotation
Bioflocculation
Biocorrosion
• High temperature heap bioleaching• High temperature tank bioleaching
– (identification techniques, inoculation of heaps)
• Adaptation to increasingly dirty and complex ores and concentrates• Leaching of silicate-matrix minerals• Uranium heap bioleaching• Uranium agitated tank bioleaching • Nano particles produced by microbes• Surfactants (flotation reagents, flocculants)• Organic acid leaching• Sulfate reduction in metals recovery and effluent disposal• Waste treatment (slags, ash, scrap)
• . . .
Minerals Biotechnology Ahead
http://wiki.biomine.skelleftea.se/wiki/index.php/History_of_biohydrometallurgy#_ref-20