Microbes Used in Mining | eHow- the use of microbes in mineral mining ,Microbes Used in Mining By Andrew Breslin, eHow ContributorA copper mine in Minera Pudehuel, Chile, was the site of the first major commercial exploitation of microbes in miningMinerals & Soilsuse of microbes in mineral beneficiation ZENITOur reliance on water in mineral ...
"These bacteria need very little to do their work, they use air and mainly oxygen and CO2, and use the mineral itself as a source of energy," she says. She explains that if a mining site is left alone, microorganisms would eventually liberate copper from rocks, but it could take hundreds of years.
Harnessing microbes to do mining work is called biomining, or sometimes bioextraction or bioleaching. The strategy has been most extensively studied for copper and gold: Colorado-based mining consultant Corale L. Brierley estimates that 10 to 15% of copper and 5% of gold worldwide are currently being harvested through biomining.
Microbes Used in Mining | eHow- the use of microbes in mineral mining ,Microbes Used in Mining By Andrew Breslin, eHow ContributorA copper mine in Minera Pudehuel, Chile, was the site of the first major commercial exploitation of microbes in miningMinerals & Soilsuse of microbes in mineral beneficiation ZENITOur reliance on water in mineral ...
Mining with Microbes. . ion and microbial attack upon and solubilization of the mineral matrix in which the . of minerals and its use in the mining . Heavy Metal Mining Using Microbes , Abstract The use of acidiphilic, chemolithotrophic iron- and sulfur-oxidizing microbes in processes to recover metals from certain types of copper, uranium, and gold .