Environmentally-friendly compositions and methods for extracting minerals and metals from ore

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12000016-B2
Application number	US-201816955927-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2018
Priority date	Dec 27, 2017
Publication date	Jun 4, 2024
Grant date	Jun 4, 2024

Abstract

The subject invention provides safe, environmentally-friendly, compositions and methods for extracting minerals and/or metals from ore. More specifically, the subject invention provides for bioleaching using a composition comprising one or more biosurfactant-producing microorganisms and/or microbial growth by-products. In specific embodiments, the composition comprises biosurfactant-producing yeasts and/or their growth by-products.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for extracting minerals and/or metals from ore, the method comprising:
obtaining ore comprising one or more minerals and/or metals selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, copper, cobalt, lithium, zinc and nickel, and gangue;
crushing, grinding, micronizing or pulverizing the ore into smaller ore particles; applying a biological leaching reagent comprising a Starmerella bombicola yeast and/or a growth by-product thereof to the ore particles, wherein the growth by-product is a biosurfactant;
mixing the biological leaching reagent with the ore particles to form a slurry;
allowing the minerals and/or metals to separate from the ore; and
collecting the minerals and/or metals from the slurry.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mixing occurs continuously.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the separated minerals and/or metals are dispersed and/or float in the slurry as solution.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the separated minerals and/or metals are sequestered by the yeast and/or growth by-product thereof of the biological leaching reagent.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the minerals and/or metals are collected from the slurry via gravity, froth flotation, electrostatic separation, magnetic separation, wet size screening, dry screening or cyclone classifying.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ore is in the form of mine tailings.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein contacting the ore with the biological leaching reagent comprises placing the ore particles into a tank, column, vat or pool and pouring the biological leaching reagent into the tank, column, vat or pool.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the biological leaching reagent further comprises glycine.

Assignees

• Locus Solutions Ipco Llc

Inventors

• Farmer Sean
• Alibek Ken
• Ibragimova Samal

Classifications

• C22B3/18 Primary

  with the aid of microorganisms or enzymes, e.g. bacteria or algae · CPC title

• C12N1/16

  Yeasts; Culture media therefor · CPC title

• C12N1/20

  Bacteria; Culture media therefor · CPC title

• C22B3/02

  Apparatus therefor · CPC title

• C22B11/042

  Recovery of noble metals from waste materials · CPC title