(via TheNewswire)
Reliance on
Interest in the potential use of bioleaching for the metallurgical extraction of REEs has risen in recent months, with media reports that the US is actively seeking steps to end dependency on imports of key metals and minerals from
“The US government has made it crystal clear that it is very uncomfortable with
Conventional REE processing typically uses harsh chemical environments of concentrated acids or alkalis at high temperatures to extract REEs from a broad variety of minerals. By comparison, the use of bioleaching has potential advantages as the complex nature of REE minerals provides multiple target sites for microbial activity to release metals of value including REE. Bioleaching also represents a more natural and environmentally acceptable processing alternative to conventional processing. Conceptual downstream treatment of REE solutions produced by bioleaching would be similar to existing downstream operations involving separation and purification of individual elements from the liquor. Bioleaching is therefore being proposed as replacing only a current step of leach extraction in an REE flowsheet.
Three different groups of organisms have been promoted as possible candidates useful in extraction of REE. These are classified as aerobic autotrophs (the current suite of microbial mix used in BacTech’s bioleaching or bio-oxidation for commercial refractory gold treatment); aerobic heterotrophs and anaerobic autotrophs. To date, aerobic autotrophs have demonstrated a robust ability to breakdown a wide variety of mineral matrices and their potential application in extractive metallurgy of complex REE minerals will be explored first. The design and engineering of agitated aerated reactor systems suitable for application of aerobic autotrophs to metallurgical flowsheets is well understood and has been proven over many years.
BacTech fully acknowledges that bioleach processing may not be appropriate to all REE projects due to differences in mineralogy, but believes the momentum and interest to pursue environmentally responsible processing alternatives warrants further exploration. As a first objective, BacTech will source materials from REE projects with mineralogy believed to be most amenable to bioleach processing. Positive results from such work would lead to more detailed testing of downstream processing solutions in order to demonstrate proof of concept to specific REE projects.
About the
BacTech is planning to build a new owner-operated bioleaching facility near Ponce Enriquez,
In total, there are over 90 small mines operating in the area. BacTech intends to return local miner compensation back to previous payment levels, prior to a sweeping price reduction imposed by Chinese buyers due to recent import levies on arsenic/gold concentrates entering
About
BacTech is a proven environmental technology company, delivering effective and eco-friendly biomining and remediation solutions to commercial operations to process and recover preferred metals (gold, silver, cobalt, and copper) smartly and safely remove and transform harmful contaminants like arsenic into benign
For further information contact:
President & CEO,
416-813-0303 ext. 222,
Email: borr@bactechgreen.com
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