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Engineered processes that use Eioneactors

Balloy, A.D.; Brlerley,C.L. and Hansford, G.S. Biotechnology and Bioeng ineoring (2003) 42..1 1 64-t 1t 4.

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Bioleaching has been commercially practiced

for half a century to

economlcally extract copper from marginal-grade ores. In the last 25 years new developments in microbiology

coupled wth engineering enhancements have yielded heap bioleachlng for copper ores, heap blooxidatlon for pretreatment of sulfidlc-refractory gold ores and aerated,
contlnuous stlrred-tank reactor processes for

base- and preclous metal mlneral concentrates, All of these blomlntng technologles are wldely practlced on a commerclal basls throughout the world today wlth bloleachirrg accounting for some 15-200/0 of the world's total copper production of approxlmately 17 mlllion metric tonnes of copper. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUETIONS
envlonmont) a mlcroba wlllsimpty dtvde. One mlcobe becornos two, two bacomas four, four ecomcs 16 and so forth. This

Are tha mlcrobos used ln blomlnlng procrs gena{cally aftsrad? No. All of tho mlcroorganisms used ln blomlnlng occur in nafura and are inhahitants of
acd hot springs, volcanlc regions, sulfide

logarlthmic dfulslon occurs untit somothlng, such s lack of food or oxygen or an unfavorable pH, prevents

mlnenl outcroppings and at

operatlons where sulflde minenls are exposed to alr. We do not ganefically manipulate theso naturally-occuning oganlsms before they arc amployed fn commo rci al mlni ng apera ort s,

mlning

the organlsms fram fufther dlvlslon. ln heap minemls biooxtdafron for prctrcating gold ores, ate ara abouf one mlllion mlcrobes par gram of ota.

ln contlnuous silnod - tank bloleachlng/minarals btooxldation the numbar of micrcbes excoeds ona bifilon
por mllllliter of soluon.

What ls ths life.span of tho blomlnlng

rnlcroorganlsms? Urttike humans, anfmals and plants, microarganisms

wproduce by doubllng. That is, when the mlcrobe as a0unda rtt foad (iron and sulfur for tho biomning mtcrobes) and optirnal cortdilons (sutricient oxygan,

Can blomlnlng ba effocilvely ueed ln axtreme anvironments such a* high

altltudas and
Yes.

in cold envlronmnts?

High altitudes hava no affact

carbon dioxido and

suffuric acid

on tha biominlng microorganisms. Addftional ar must be suppliad to the organlsms to give