Metal value recovery from metal sulfide containing ores
AssigneeEnsci, Inc.
InventorsBarbara A. Krebs-Yuill, Larry B. Tsai, Rebekah Wu, David A. Milligan, Nestor J. Troncoso
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Abstract
A process for recovering at least one first metal from a metal sulfide-containing ore comprising contacting the ore with an aqueous, acidic composition and at least one reducible manganese-containing material at conditions effective (1) to chemically reduce the manganese, (2) solubilize at least a portion of the metal from the sulfide, and (3) at least partially liberate the first metal from the ore; and recovering the first metal from the ore. The use of added ferric ion and/or Thiobacillus ferrooxidans bacteria in the above-noted contacting is also disclosed.
Claims40
A process for recovering at least one first metal selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, the platinum group metals and mixtures thereof from an ore containing said first metal and a sulfide of a second metal other than manganese comprising:
- contacting said ore with an aqueous, acidic composition and at least one manganese-containing material in the presence of ferric ion at conditions effective to (1) chemically reduce manganese, (2) solubilize second metal from said sulfide in said aqueous, acidic composition, and (3) liberate first metal from said ore;
- and recovering said first metal from said ore.
A process for recovering at least one first metal selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, the platinum group metals and mixtures thereof from an ore containing said first metal and a sulfide of a second metal other than manganese comprising:
- contacting said ore with an aqueous, acidic composition and at least one manganese-containing material in the presence of ferric ion at conditions effective to (1) chemically reduce manganese, (2) solubilize second metal from said second metal sulfide, and (3) liberate first metal from said ore, provided that said contacting occurs in the presence of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans;
- and recovering said first metal from said ore.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.