Effect of ultraviolet mutagenesis on heterotrophic strain mutation and bioleaching of low grade copper ore

The effect of ultraviolet mutagenesis on a heterotrophic strain(Providencia JAT-1) mutation was studied and bioleaching of low grade copper ore with mutant bacteria was investigated. The results show that the activity of bacteria was improved after ultraviolet mutagenesis; the best irradiation time was 120 s. Compared to the original bacteria, the cells density of mutant bacteria at stationary phase increased by 26% and ammonia produced by mutant bacteria increased by 12%. Higher activity of bacteria leads to a higher copper extraction rate. The bioleaching performance of Providencia JAT-1 was improved after UV mutagenesis. The copper extraction rate with mutant bacteria increased by 10.6% compared to the original bacteria. The ore surface was corroded and the fine particles were absent after bioleaching. Free copper oxide and copper silicates could be leached out easily by using JAT-1; a small part of the copper sulfide can also be leached out. Bioleaching using JAT-1 is more effective than ammonia leaching and copper extraction rate with mutant bacteria was 21.1% higher than that by ammonia leaching under the same condition.

Comparison of selective flocculation of low grade goethitic iron ore fines using natural and synthetic polymers and a graft copolymer

This study aims to beneficiate low grade goethitic iron ore fines using a selective flocculation process. Selective flocculation studies were conducted using different polymers such as starch amylopectin(AP), poly acrylic acid(PAA), and a graft copolymer(AP-g-PAA). The obtained results were analyzed; they indicate the enhancement of the iron ore grade from 58.49% to 67.52% using AP-g-PAA with a recovery of 95.08%. In addition, 64.45% Fe with a recovery of 88.79% was obtained using AP. Similarly, using PAA, the grade increased to 63.46% Fe with a recovery of 82.10%. The findings are also supported by characterizing concentrates using X-ray diffraction(XRD) and electron probe microanalysis(EPMA) techniques.

Effect of technological factors on bacterial leaching of low-grade Ni-Cu sulfide ore

The bioleaching of a low grade Ni Cu sulfide ore from Jinchuan Mine with Thiobacillus ferrooxidans (TF5) and Thiobacillus thiooxidans (TT) was investigated. The effect of pH, the initial cell numbers of bacteria, the pulp density and the ratio of TF5 and TT on leaching was described, and the favorable bioleaching conditions for the ore were experimentally confirmed. The aeration leaching, agitation leaching with air bubbling, and column leaching were respectively tested. The highest recovery was achieved in the aeration leaching. After leaching for 20?d with pulp density of 15%, the extractions of Ni, Cu and Co were respectively 95.4%, 48.6% and 82.6%.

Reductive Acid Leaching of Low Grade Manganese Ores

Manganese recoveries from low-grade ores using organic acids as reducing agents were investigated in the present work. The acid leaching potential of both oxalic acid and citric acid were estimated. Manganese leaching amount were measured by using standard manganese curve and estimated by titration method. Effects of various acid concentrations on leaching efficiency were studied. The observed result suggested prominent manganese recovery of 66% by oxalic acid at 2 M concentration whereas citric acid had less effect on leaching showing leaching percentage upto 40% in 6 days. Acid leaching of manganese ore with both the acids gave a comparative data stating that oxalic acid leached better than citric acid.

Flotation technology of refractory low-grade molybdenum ore

Because of the low grade, high oxidation rate and the accumulation of little associated metal sulfide ore in the molybdenum concentrate during flotation, the Qingyang molybdenum ore is difficult to beneficiate. The experimental studies of grinding fineness, the amount of roughing modifier, depressant and collector were completed. In the cleaning process, the contrast experiments of one regrinding, the regrinding and scrubbing, two-stage regrinding was carried. The result shows that the grade of molybdenum ore concentrate is 45.31%, the recovery is 65.98% and the rich ore ratio reaches 20.59% by the regrinding and scrubbing seven cleaning, the regrinding of concentrations from middling of molybdenum-sulfur separation. The regularly-concentrated material from the apparatus was as the middling products. Hence, ideal beneficiation index can be obtained with a rational mineral processing, which offers new beneficiating technology for the refractory low-grade molybdenum ore in China.

SODA DECOMPOSITION OF LOW－GRADE TUNGSTEN ORE THROUGH MECHANICAL ACTIVATION

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Enhanced copper recovery from low grade copper sulfide ores through bioleaching using residues produced by fermentation of agricultural wastes

Effects of residues produced by agricultural wastes fermentation(AWF)on low grade copper sulfide ores bioleaching,copper recovery,and microbial community were investigated.The results indicated that adding appropriate bulk of AWF made contributions to low grade copper sulfide ores bioleaching,which may be mainly realized through reducing the passivation layer formed by Fe3+hydrolysis.Improved copper recovery(78.35%)and bacteria concentration(9.56×10^(7)cells·mL^(−1))were yielded in the presence of 5 g·L^(−1)AWF.The result of 16S rDNA analysis demonstrated that microbial community was differentiated by adding AWF.Bacteria proportion,such as Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans,Moraxella osloensis,and Lactobacillus acetotolerans changed distinctly.Great difference between samples was showed according to beta diversity index,and the maximum value reached 0.375.Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans accounted for the highest proportion throughout the bioleaching process,and that of sample in the presence of 5 g·L^(−) AWF reached 28.63%.The results should show reference to application of agricultural wastes and low grade copper sulfide ores.

Study on hydrometallurgical process and kinetics of manganese extraction from low-grade manganese carbonate ores

In order to utilize low-grade manganese ore resources effectively, a hydrometallurgical process was developed for manganese extraction in dilute sulfuric acid medium, and the kinetics of leaching manganese was also investigated. At room temperature, manganese from low-grade manganese carbonate ores was extracted by sulfuric acid leaching without reductants. During the extracting process, single-factor analysis method was used to evaluate the effects of grinding fineness, sulfuric acid concentration,liquid-to-solid ratio, agitation rate and leaching time on the leaching efficiencies of Mn and Fe. The optimal leaching conditions are determined as coarse particles of below 2 mm size(without ball-milling),sulfuric acid concentration of 0.86 mol/L, liquid-to-solid ratio of 5:1, agitation rate of 150 r/min and leaching for 180 min at room temperature. Under the optimal conditions, the leaching efficiencies of Mn and Fe are 96.21% and 13.35%, respectively. In addition, through the experiments at different temperatures, it is found that the leaching process follows the shrinking core model under the conditions of changing acid concentration and intermittent reaction device. Moreover, the apparent activations of effective diffusion and chemical reaction in the kinetic model are calculated to be 18.83 and27.15 kJ/mol, respectively.

Dissolution kinetics of low grade complex copper ore in ammonia-ammonium chloride solution

The leaching kinetics of Tang-dan refractory low grade complex copper ore was investigated in ammonia-ammonium chloride solution.The concentration of ammonia and ammonium chloride,the ore particle size,the solid-to-liquid ratio and the temperature were chosen as parameters in the experiments.The results show that temperature,concentration of ammonia and ammonium chloride have favorable influence on the leaching rate of copper oxide ores.But,leaching rate decreases with increasing particle size and solid-to-liquid ratio.The leaching process is controlled by the diffusion of the lixiviant and the activation energy is determined to be 23.279 kJ/mol.An equation was also proposed to describe the leaching kinetics.

Leaching process and kinetics of manganese in low-grade manganese ore

Manganese was extracted from leaching low-grade manganese ore in sulfuric acid medium. The effects of granule diameter, leaching time, liquid/solid ratio (V/W) and the concentration of sulfuric acid were investigated through orthogonal and single factor experiments. The experimental results showed that the optimal leaching conditions are, size of 0.054mm, 120 minutes of reaction time, 3(V/W) of liquid/solid ratio and 30% of the concentration of sulfuric acid (g/g). Under those conditions, the leaching efficiency is 96.73%. The kinetics of the leaching process is in accordance with the characteristics of fractal reaction.

Improved recovery of a low-grade refractory gold ore using flotation–preoxidation–cyanidation methods

In this work, different flotation–preoxidation–cyanidation methods are considered for treating a lowgrade refractory gold ore. On the one hand, the results of selective flotation show that 22% and 31.1%of total Sb and As, respectively, remained in the final tailings and only about 28% of the total Au remained for further cyanidation processes. On the other hand, in bulk method of flotation the maximum Au recovery of 90.6% achieved after 60 min of flotation at the grind size with K80 of 146 micron. In addition, the bulk flotation method resulted in the concentrate with low concentrations of Sb and As elements. To improve the recovery of low-grade refractory gold ores, flotation should be followed by roasting, biological, or pressure oxidation processes so that the gold could be liberated prior to cyanidation processes. It is also found that the pressure oxidation pre-treatment of the concentrates prior to cyanidation may yield high gold recoveries of over than 83%. In these processes, recoveries are controlled by the temperature and the oxygen partial pressure in the solvent. However, by utilizing the bio-oxidation technique, the oxidation of sulfur to sulfate cannot be completed and, consequently, the gold recovery may be limited to only 72.2%.

Extraction of valuable metals from low-grade nickeliferous laterite ore by reduction roasting-ammonia leaching method

Nickel and cobalt were extracted from low-grade nickeliferous laterite ore using a reduction roasting-ammonia leaching method.The reduction roasting-ammonia leaching experimental tests were chiefly introduced,by which fine coal was used as a reductant.The results show that the optimum process conditions are confirmed as follows:in reduction roasting process,the mass fraction of reductant in the ore is 10%,roasting time is 120 min,roasting temperature is 1 023-1 073 K;in ammonia leaching process,the liquid-to-solid ratio is 4:1(mL/g),leaching temperature is 313 K,leaching time is 120 min,and concentration ratio of NH3 to CO2 is 90 g/L:60 g/L.Under the optimum conditions,leaching efficiencies of nickel and cobalt are 86.25% and 60.84%,respectively.Therefore,nickel and cobalt can be effectively reclaimed,and the leaching agent can be also recycled at room temperature and normal pressure.

Leaching kinetics of low grade zinc oxide ore in NH_3-NH_4Cl-H_2O system

The leaching kinetics of low grade zinc oxide ore in NH3-NH4Cl-H2O system was studied. The effects of ore particle size, reaction temperature and the sum concentration of ammonium ion and ammonia on the leaching efficiency of zinc were examined. The leaching kinetics of low-grade zinc oxide ore in NH3-NH4Cl-H2O system follows the kinetic law of shrinking-core model. The results show that diffusion through the inert particle pores is the leaching kinetics rate controlling step. The calculated apparent activation energy of the process is about 7.057 kJ/mol. The leaching efficiency of zinc is 92.1% under the conditions of ore particle size of 69 μm, holding at 80 ℃ for 60 min, sum ammonia concentration of 7.5 mol/L, the molar ratio of ammonium to ammonia being 2-1, and the ratio (g/mL) of solid to liquid being 1-10.

Recovery of zinc from low-grade zinc oxide ores by solvent extraction

The recovery of zinc from low-grade zinc oxide ores with solvent extraction-electrowinning technique was investigated by using D2EHPA as extractant and 260 # kerosene as diluent. The results show that it is possible to selectively leach zinc from the ores by heap leaching. The zinc concentration of leach solution in the first leaching cycle is 32.57 g/L, and in the sixteenth cycle the zinc concentration is 8.27g/L after solvent extraction. The leaching solution is subjected to solvent extraction, scrubbing and selective stripping for enrichment of zinc and removal of impurities. The pregnant zinc sulfate solution produced from the stripping cycle is suitable for zinc electrowinning. Extra-pure zinc metal was obtained in the electrowinning test under conventional conditions.

Leaching kinetics of low-grade copper ore with high-alkality gangues in ammonia-ammonium sulphate solution

The leaching kinetics of low-grade copper ore with high-alkality gangues was studied in ammonia-ammonium sulphate solution.The main parameters,such as ammonia and ammonium sulphate concentrations,particle size,solid-to-liquid ratio and reaction temperature,were chosen in the experiments.The results show that the increase of temperature,concentrations of ammonia and ammonium sulphate is propitious to the leaching rate of copper ore.The leaching rate increases with the decrease of particle size and solid-to-liquid ratio.The leaching rate is controlled by the diffusion through the ash layer and the activation energy is determined to be 25.54 kJ/mol.A semi-empirical equation was proposed to describe the leaching kinetics.

Catalytic effect of activated carbon on bioleaching of low-grade primary copper sulfide ores

The catalytic effect of activated carbon on the bioleaching of low-grade primary copper sulfide ores using mixture of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans was investigated. The results show that the addition of activated carbon can greatly accelerate the rate and efficiency of copper dissolution from low-grade primary copper sulfide ores. The solution with the concentration of 3.0 g/L activated carbon is most beneficial to the dissolution of copper. The resting time of the mixture of activated carbon and ores has an impact on the bioleaching of low-grade primary copper sulfide ores. The 2 d resting time is most favorable to the dissolution of copper. The enhanced dissolution rate and efficiency of copper can be attributed to the galvanic interaction between activated carbon and chalcopyrite. The addition of activated carbon obviously depresses the dissolution of iron and the bacterial oxidation of ferrous ions in solution. The lower redox potentials are more favorable to the copper dissolution than the higher potentials for low-grade primary copper sulfide ores in the presence of activated carbon.

Acid equilibrium during bioleaching of alkaline low-grade sulfide copper ore

This article reports the study on acid equilibrium during bioleaching of alkaline low-grade copper sulfide ore. Adding auxiliary agents 1# （sulfur） and 2# （pyrite） makes bacterial leaching of copper and acid production carried out simultaneously because the auxiliary agents can be oxidized by bacteria and the oxidation products involve acid. The acid required for dissolving alkaline gangue during bacterial leaching is produced, and acid equilibrium is reached during the ore bio-leaching. The recovery of copper reaches more than 95%.

Preparation of chemical manganese dioxide from low-grade rhodochrosite ore

The preparation of chemical manganese dioxide(CMD) from low-grade rhodochrosite ore(LGRO) in Xiushan,Chongqing,was studied and improved,including leaching with sulfuric acid,purifying,crystallizing and decomposing of MnCO3,and refining of primary MnO2.The product was characterized by X-ray diffraction.The results showed that the extraction ratio,the manganese recovery ratio of purifying,crystallization and refining reached 96.8%,93.9%,97.7%and 85.4%,respectively.The optimum conditions of refining were described as follows:liquid(H2SO4)/solid(primary MnO2) ratio was 3 L/g,the concentrations of NaClO exceeded 20%,and reaction time was 3 hours.Under the above conditions,the contents of MnO2and Mn in the obtained manganese dioxide were respectively 85.1%and 53.9%.The refined MnO2can be used as the super grade manganese dioxide mine powder in chemical industry.The XRD indicated that the structure of the product wasγ-MnO2.

Experimental study on preferential solution flow during dump leaching of low-grade ores

The phenomenon of preferential solution flow during dump leaching of low-grade ores was studied.The formative mechanism of preferential solution flow was investigated through analyzing the relationship between permeability and ore diameter,and the relationship between surface tension and ore diameter.The preferential solution flow happened within the fine ore area when the dump was unsaturated.And it could happen within the coarse ore area when the dump became saturated.The results of experiment show that the outflow of coarse ore area increases sharply with higher applied rate.The outflow of fine ore area is greater than that of coarse ore area when the applied rate is below 3.2 L/min,and the preferential solution flow happens in fine ore area.But the preferential solution flow happens in coarse ore area when the applied rate is higher than 3.2 L/min.The result of the experiment is consistent with the mechanism analyzing.

Efficacy of Bacterial Adaptation on Copper Biodissolution from a Low Grade Chalcopyrite Ore by A. ferrooxidans

A low-grade ore containing ~0.3% Cu, remains unutilized for want of a viable process at Malanjkhand Copper Project (MCP), India in which copper is present as chalcopyrite associated with pyrite in quartz veins and granitic rocks. In order to extract copper from this material, bioleaching has been attempted on bench scale using Acidithiobacillus fer-rooxidans (A. ferrooxidans) isolated from the native mine water. The enriched culture containing A. ferrooxidans when adapted to the ore and employed for the bioleaching at 5% (w/v) pulp density, pH 2.0 and 25°C with three particle sizes viz.150 -76 μm, 76 - 50 μm and SCE) from 530 to 654 mV in 35 days. Under similar conditions, the unadapted strains gave a recovery of 44.0% for SCE from 525 to 650 mV. On using unadapted bacte-rial culture directly in shake flask at pH 2.0 and 35°C temperature and 5% (w/v) pulp density (PD) for 9 cells/mL in 35 days. The higher bio-recovery of copper with the adapted bacterial culture may be attributed to the improved iron oxidation (Fe2+ to Fe3+) exhibiting higher ESCE as compared to that of unadapted strains.