Metal recovery process
AssigneeMint Innovation Limited
InventorsWill BARKER, Oliver CRUSH
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a process for recovering metals from aqueous solutions or solid feedstocks such as ores and waste. In particular, the invention relates to a method of recovering a target metals using a microorganism.
Claims25
A method of recovering a target metal from a pregnant aqueous solution containing the target metal, or of recovering a target metal, the method comprising:
- (a) optionally a dissolution step comprising dissolving the target metal from a solid feedstock material with a lixiviant to form a pregnant aqueous solution containing target metal ions;
- (b) a biosorption step comprising contacting a microorganism with the pregnant aqueous solution such that at least a portion of the target metal biosorb to the microorganism, wherein the microorganism becomes metal laden and the pregnant aqueous solution becomes a barren solution;
- (c) a separating step comprising substantially separating the metal laden microorganism from the barren solution;
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- (d) a recovery step comprising recovery of the target metal from the metal laden microorganism.
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A system for the recovery of a target metal from a pregnant aqueous solution containing the target metal, or for the recovery of a target metal from a solid feedstock material, the system comprising:
- (a) optionally a vessel configured for dissolving target metal from a solid feedstock material with a lixiviant to form a pregnant aqueous solution containing the target metal;
- (b) a vessel configured for contacting a microorganism with the pregnant aqueous solution such that at least a portion of the target metal biosorb to the microorganism, wherein the microorganism becomes metal laden, and the pregnant aqueous solution becomes a barren solution;
- (c) a separator configured for substantially separating the metal laden microorganism from the barren solution;
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- (d) a recovery means configured for recovery of the target metal from the metal laden microorganism.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.