Bioleaching

Bioleaching, or also called biomining, is a method of mining and biohydrometallurgy, it is a

process of interaction between microbes and minerals that with the help of microorganisms, which
extracts valuable metals from low-grade ore. Techniques in bioleaching are also more productive than
conventional mining applications and can also be used to clean sites for mine tailings.

According to (Srichandan et al, 2019) Bioleaching is extensively investigated for metal extraction
from secondary solid waste, electronic waste, spent catalyst, sludge, slag and ash as an economical and
environmentally friendly process.

And (Seizen and Wilson, 2009) stated that Today, bioleaching is used in industrial operations to
treat copper, cobalt, nickel, zinc and uranium ores, while bio-oxidation is used in the production of gold
and desulfurization of coal.--

In general, bioleaching is easier and thus cheaper to operate and maintain than conventional
methods, because the operation of complex chemical plants needs fewer specialists. Furthermore,
bioleaching has a lower energy requirement than conventional processes. It generally requires only an
ambient temperature and pressure environment and this contrast with pyrometallurgical and
hydrometallurgical methods where rather extreme conditions of temperature, pressure and chemical
conditions are required.

Chemistry of Bioleaching

T. thiooxidans and T. ferrooxidans have always been found to be present in mixture on leaching

dumps. Thiobacillus is the most extensively studied Gram-negative bacillus bacterium which derives
energy from oxidation of Fe2+ or insoluble sulphur. In bioleaching there are two following reaction
mechanisms:

 Direct Bacterial Leaching

In direct bacterial leaching a physical contact exists between bacteria and ores and oxidation of minerals
take place through several enzymatically catalysed steps.

 Indirect Bacterial Leaching

In indirect bacterial leaching microbes are not in direct contact with minerals but leaching agents are
produced by microorganisms which oxidize them.

2.6 Bioleaching Process

According to (Rawlings et al, 2003) relatively unsophisticated, inexpensive irrigated dumps,

controlled bioleaching from heaps, or very costly and highly controlled stirred reactors are included in
the engineering options for bioleaching
There are three commercial methods used in leaching:

(i) Slope Leaching. About 10,000 tonnes of ores are ground first to get fine pieces. It is
dumped in large piles down a mountain side leaching dump. Water containing
inoculum of Thiobacillus is continuously sprinkled over the pile. Water is collected at
bottom. It is used to extract metals and generate bacteria in an oxidation pond.
(ii) Heap Leaching. The ore is dumped in large heaps called leach dump. Further steps of
treatment are as described for slope leaching.
(iii) In situ Leaching. In this process ores remain in its original position in earth. Surface
blasting of rock is done just to increase permeability of water. Thereafter, water
containing Thiobacillus is pumped through drilled passage to the ores. Acidic water
seeps through the rock and collects at bottom. Again from bottom water is pumped,
mineral is extracted and water is reused after generation of bacteria.

Then there are some examples of Bioleaching

Copper leaching

Copper leaching plants have been widely used for many years in the world. It is used as a
straightforward method of heap leaching, or a combination of both heap leaching and in situ
leaching.

Uranium Leaching

Leaching uranium is more essential than leaching copper, although less uranium than copper is
obtained. A thousand tons of uranium ore must be treated in order to produce one tons of
uranium. The leaching of uranium in situ is gaining broad acceptance and uranium leaching has
an indirect process.

Gold and Silver Leaching

One of the most exciting applications is today's microbial leaching of refractory precious metal
ores to accelerate gold and silver recovery. Gold is obtained by arsenopyrite/pyrite ore
bioleaching and its cyanidation process. During the microbial leaching of iron sulfide, silver is
more readily solubilized than gold.

Silica Leaching

The ores of silica are magnesite, bauxite, dolomite and basalt. Bacillus Ucheniformis was
isolated from deposits of magnesite ore by Mohanty et al (1990). It was later shown to be
consistent with the bacterium's bioleaching, concurrent mineralysis and silican uptake. uptake
was concluded to have limited bacterial cell surface adsorption rather than internal membrane
uptake.