Selective solubilization of gangue from nickel sulfides using biosolvents

Abstract

A mixture includes a nickel-containing ore and/or concentrate thereof and an extraction composition including a fermentation broth obtained from an Aspergillus species (spp.), Acetobacter spp., Bacillus spp., Propionibacterium spp., Corynebacterium spp., Rhizopus spp., Clostridium spp., Fusobacterium spp., Pseudomonas spp., Bifidobacterium spp., Saccharomyces spp., Enterobacter spp., Escherichia spp., among others. The extraction composition is configured to selectively solubilize one or more components, such as a magnesium component from the nickel-containing ore and/or concentrate thereof. A method for extracting a metal from a nickel-containing ore and/or concentrate includes selectively solubilizing a magnesium component from the nickel-containing ore and/or concentrate thereof into an extraction composition including the fermentation broth. The method can include extracting a magnesium component from a nickel-containing ore and/or concentrate thereof into an extraction composition, separating the nickel-containing ore and/or concentrate thereof from an extracted magnesium component and broth, separating the broth from the extracted magnesium component, and repeating the extracting. The extracted magnesium component has a purity in a range from 10% to 90%.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.