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    Biomining

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    ruchika
    Biomining is a low-cost, environmentally friendly process that uses microorganisms to extract valuable metals from ores and mine tailings. It has lower infrastructure and operational costs than conventional mining techniques and produces fewer pollutants. Biomining can extract metals from both high- and low-grade ores as well as mine tailings, providing an alternative to depleting high-grade resources and reducing the environmental impacts of pyrometallurgy.

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    Biomining

    Uploaded by

    ruchika
    39 views2 pages
    Biomining is a low-cost, environmentally friendly process that uses microorganisms to extract valuable metals from ores and mine tailings. It has lower infrastructure and operational costs than conventional mining techniques and produces fewer pollutants. Biomining can extract metals from both high- and low-grade ores as well as mine tailings, providing an alternative to depleting high-grade resources and reducing the environmental impacts of pyrometallurgy.

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    Biomining is a low-cost, environmentally friendly process that uses microorganisms to extract valuable metals from ores and mine tailings. It has lower infrastructure and operational costs than conventional mining techniques and produces fewer pollutants. Biomining can extract metals from both high- and low-grade ores as well as mine tailings, providing an alternative to depleting high-grade resources and reducing the environmental impacts of pyrometallurgy.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    39 views2 pages

    Biomining

    Uploaded by

    ruchika
    Biomining is a low-cost, environmentally friendly process that uses microorganisms to extract valuable metals from ores and mine tailings. It has lower infrastructure and operational costs than conventional mining techniques and produces fewer pollutants. Biomining can extract metals from both high- and low-grade ores as well as mine tailings, providing an alternative to depleting high-grade resources and reducing the environmental impacts of pyrometallurgy.

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    Biomining is the process of extracting valuable metals from ores and mine

    tailings with the assistance of microorganisms. It is a very low capital, low


    operational cost, and a low energy input process. This technology is also
    environmentally friendly as it generates minimal amount of pollutants. It has the
    added benefit of mining low grade ore and/or mine tailings. The depletion of
    high grade ores and the onerous environmental burden inherent in the
    pyrometallurgical technologies are forcing mining companies to examine
    alternative metal-extractive procedures. Biomining can undoubtedly provide
    such a green technology to exploit mineral resources. Physical-chemical
    processes utilized in conventional mining technologies necessitate large
    amounts of energy for roasting/smelting and produce harmful gaseous
    emissions such as sulfur dioxide; biomining will help eliminate these problems.

    What is Biomining?

    Biomining is the process of extracting valuable metals from ores and mine
    tailings with the assistance of microorganisms. It is an effective and green
    technology to mine metals.

    Biomining an Effective Mining Technology:

    1. Low infrastructure 2. Low-labour input 3. Green Technology, low


    gaseous emission 4. Low energy demand 5. Low operating cost compared
    to other mining technologies 6. Cleaner tailings 7. Mine high/low grade
    ores and economically viable tailings

    Types of Biomining

    1. Stirred Tank Biomining 2. Bioheaps 3. In- situ Bioleaching

    1. Stirred Tank Biomining:- This method is used for leaching from substrates
    with high mineral concentration. Special types of stirred tank bioreactors lined
    with rubber or corrosion resistant steel and insulated with cooling pipes or
    cooling jackets are used for this purpose. Thiobacillus is commonly used
    bacteria. Since it is aerobic the bio reactor is provided with an abundant supply
    of oxygen throughout the process provided by aerators, pumps and blowers.
    This is multistage process consisting of large number of bio-reactors connected
    to each other. The substrates moves from one reactor to another and in the final
    stage it is washed with water and treated with a variety of chemicals to recover
    the mineral.
    2. Bioheaps :- Bioheaps are large amount of low grade ore and effluents from
    extraction processes that contain trace amounts of minerals. Such effluents are
    usually stacked in the large open space heaps and treated with microorganisms
    to extract the minerals. Bioheaps are also called biopiles, biomounds and
    biocells. They are also used for biodegradation of petroleum and chemical
    wastes.

    3. In- situ Bioleaching: - In this method the mineral is extracted directly from
    the mine instead of collecting the ore and transferring to an extracting facility
    away from the site of the mine. In-situ biomining is usually done to extract trace
    amounts of minerals present in the ores after a conventional extraction process
    is completed. The mine is blasted to reduce the ore size and to increase
    permeability and is then treated with water and acid solution with bacterial
    inoculums.

    Microbes useful for biomining operations :- There are wide varieties of


    bacteria with varying capabilities existing on earth. Therefore, it is essential to
    identify precisely the types that can perform biooxidation/ bioleaching
    effectively. Thiobacillus ferrooxidans is a chemophilic, moderately
    thermophilic bacteria which can produce energy from oxidation of inorganic
    compounds like sulfur and iron. It is the most commonly used bacteria in
    biomining. Several other bacteria such as: T. thioxidans, Thermothrix thiopara,
    Sulfolobus acidocaldarius and S. brierleyi are also widely used to extract
    various minerals.

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