Patent ID: 6096113
Filing Date: 2000-08-01
Classification: C22B,Y02P,Y10S

Abstract:
An integrated, closed tank biooxidation/heap bioleach/metal leach process for recovering a metal value from a refractory ore, said process comprising:(1) splitting a refractory ore into a first portion and a second portion;(2) placing the first portion in a biooxidation reactor wherein at least one microorganism species inoculates and at least partially digests a component of the refractory ore component of the first portion, biologically multiplies and generally acclimates itself to using the refractory ore as a food source and thereby producing a resulting biooxidation system;(3) combining a portion of the resulting biooxidation system with at least some of the second portion in a thickener/mixing unit and allowing the acclimated microorganism species contained in the resulting biooxidation system to inoculate and at least partially digest a refractory ore component of the second portion and thereby produce a more fully inoculated, blended, refractory ore product;(4) dewatering the more fully inoculated, blended, refractory ore product to produce a dewatered, biooxidation product;(5) agglomerating the dewatered, biooxidation product to produce an agglomerated, refractory ore product;(6) placing the agglomerated, refractory ore product in a heap biooxidation heap;(7) treating the biooxidation heap with a liquid suspension of a microorganism species capable of digesting a component of the refractory ore product; and(8) recovering a heap biodigested solid product from the biooxidation heap.