ABSTRACT

Heap bioleaching is a microbial technology that catalyzes the decomposition of ore without grinding. The crushed ore is stacked on the liner, and the microbial solution flows through the heap from top to bottom. Under the oxidation action of Fe³⁺, valuable metals in sulfide enter the liquid phase as ions, which are then recovered from the subsequent process. The main function of microorganisms are the regeneration of Fe³⁺. This technology has the advantages of low cost, environment friendliness, simple requirements, and suitability for the treatment of low-grade ore. It has been applied to industrial production. However, the technology is still evolving because there are still many problems that are not well explained, such as synergistic effect between microorganisms, the role of extracellular polymeric substances, passivation phenomenon, galvanic interaction between minerals, mode of ore treatment and heap running, the impact of the natural environment, reasonable disposal of tailings, etc. This paper adequately discusses these aspects based on plentiful excellent researches, including the latest ideas, which can provide a comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of heap bioleaching for the readers. Besides, commercial process data, effective improvement measures, environmental protection ways, laboratory research, and optimization methods were reviewed. Based on the comparative analysis of these knowledges, the recommended technical parameters and the remaining challenges are displayed, which can guide a new commercial or pilot-scale heap. Researchers can make new explorations from the potential research directions and methods proposed in this paper, so that heap bioleaching technology can better serve social development.

摘要

堆生物浸出是一种无需研磨即可催化矿石分解的微生物技术。粉碎后的矿石堆放在衬板上，微生物溶液自上而下流过堆。在Fe ³⁺的氧化作用下，硫化物中的有价金属以离子的形式进入液相，然后从后续过程中回收。微生物的主要功能是再生Fe ³⁺. 该技术具有成本低、环境友好、要求简单、适合处理低品位矿石等优点。它已应用于工业生产。然而，该技术仍在不断发展，因为仍有许多问题没有得到很好的解释，例如微生物之间的协同作用、细胞外聚合物的作用、钝化现象、矿物之间的电流相互作用、矿石处理方式和堆运行、对自然环境的影响、尾矿的合理处置等。本文在丰富的优秀研究基础上，包括最新的思想，对这些方面进行了充分的探讨，可为读者提供全面而深入的堆生物浸出知识。此外，商业流程数据，有效的改进措施，对环保途径、实验室研究和优化方法进行了综述。基于这些知识的对比分析，展示了推荐的技术参数和剩余的挑战，可以指导新的商业或中试规模的堆。研究人员可以从本文提出的潜在研究方向和方法进行新的探索，使堆生物浸出技术更好地服务于社会发展。