Council for Mineral Technology

Transcription

1 Council for Mineral Technology Presentation to Mintek 75 Technical Conference Landmarks in Minerals Biotechnology 04 June 2009 Petrus J. van Staden Manager, Biotechnology Division, Mintek.

2 Colleagues: Acknowledgements John Neale, Mariekie Gericke, Peter Craven Dr Tony Pinches Permission of Mintek.

3 Minerals Biotechnology The utilization of the biochemical processes of micro organisms in the exploitation of mineral resources

4 Minerals Biotechnology 40 o C 1 atm ph = 1 Redox = 650 mv (Ag/AgCl) 30 kg O 2 / d / m 3 DO = 1 ppm O 2 Utilisation 40%

5 Establishment of Minerals Metabolising Microbes (What s in it for the bugs?) Fe 2+ + ¼O 2 + H 3 O+ Fe / 2 H2O ΔG = kcal/mol ΔH = kcal/mol S + 3 / 2 O2 + 3 / 2 H2O SO H 3 O+ ΔG = kcal/mol ΔH = kcal/mol

6 What s in it for the bugs? Metal sulfide ores (MFeS 2 ) M 2+ Fe 2+ Biomining microorganisms Fe 3+ SO H + S 0 M 2+

7 Some Milestones (1) 1556: H 2 SO 4 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 ) Pasteurization 1865 (Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia 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

8 Rio Tinto river

9 1556: H 2 SO 4 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 ) Pasteurization 1865 (Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia 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), ) 1947: Thiobacillus ferrooxidans was identified (Colmer A.R., Hinkle M.E. (1947). Science 106: ) (later reclassified as Acidithiobacillus ) 1950's: Leach-dumps (Brierley, 2007) Some Milestones (1) 1965: Discovery of the first iron- and sulfur oxidizing archaea (Brierley 2007)

10 Isolation of thermophiles Burning coal dump Hot springs

11 Some Milestones (1) 1556: H 2 SO 4 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 ) Pasteurization 1865 (Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia 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), ) 1947: Thiobacillus ferrooxidans was identified (Colmer A.R., Hinkle M.E. (1947). Science 106: ) (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)

12 1984: MINTEK 50 Some Milestones (2) 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

13 Beaconsfield, Tasmania 1999

14 1984: MINTEK 50 Some Milestones (3) 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) : BioNic and BioZinc development 1999: Kasese Co (from pyrite) bioleach plant, Uganda (Briggs & Millard, 1998)

15 Kasese plant (Andy Carter, Wardrop)

16 1984: MINTEK 50 Some Milestones (3) 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) : 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

17 COPPER BIOLEACHING LARGE-SCALE PILOTING MEXICO:

18 1984: MINTEK 50 Some Milestones (4) 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) : 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 copperenargite 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)

19 PILOT PLANT: 20,000-t HEAPS (x 7+)

20 1984: MINTEK : 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) : 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)

21 Minerals Biotechnology Ahead 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

22 Gold nanoparticles and nanoplates 100 nm 2 µm 1 µm

23 Minerals Biotechnology Ahead 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)

24 EPS EPS-covered cells of L. ferrooxidans at/in pits on a pyrite surface (W. Sand) Applications: Bioflotation Bioflocculation Biocorrosion

25 Minerals Biotechnology Ahead 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)...

26 Heading

27 Thank you