Prospects for processing low-grade rebellious copper ores of the Madneuli deposit by heap bioleaching Prospects for processing low-grade rebellious copper ores of the Madneuli deposit by heap bioleaching

Abstract

Over 40 years of copper mining and processing in Madneuli Mine, millions of tonnes of overburden rocks, substandard ores and enrichment waste have been accumulated in mine dumps, which contains a significant amounts of useful components. Let alone the fact that these wastes occupy large areas of land, they are also hazardous to environment due to their sulfide content. The article presents the results of a study carried out as a laboratory simulation of the heap bacteriological- chemical leaching process. The test object was a low-grade rebellious sulfide and oxidized copper ore extracted from the mine dumps. The experiment was performed using acidophilic iron and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria isolated and activated from the Madneuli ore field microflora. In parallel with the process of ore heap bacteriological-chemical leaching, an acid leaching with diluted sulfuric acid solution was carried out under the same conditions. The studies have demonstrated that the method of copper heap bioleaching in ores of such type is advantageous in comparison with acid leaching. This method gives 27% higher copper recovery compared to the chemical leaching method.