Two-step oxidation of a refractory gold-bearing sulfidic concentrate and the effect of organic nutrients on its biooxidation

Abstract

Methods for improving the treatment efficiency of a refractory gold-bearing sulfidic concentrate are proposed. These methods consist of the oxidation of the concentrate during a two-step process, which includes a high temperature ferric leaching step and a subsequent biooxidation step, and the use of organic nutrients during the biooxidation step. The concentrate contained 34.7% pyrite and 7.9% arsenopyrite. The biooxidation of the concentrate (for a one-step process) was conducted at 45°C in two bioreactors that were connected in series under continuous conditions. The pyrite and arsenopyrite oxidation levels after 240h were 60.2% and 92.0%, and the gold recovery level by carbon-in-pulp cyanidation was 65.7%. The two-step process included the leaching of the concentrate by a biologically generated Fe3+-containing solution and the subsequent biooxidation of the leach residue. In this case, the pyrite and arsenopyrite oxidation levels after 240h of biooxidation were 65.7% and 94.1%, and the gold recovery level was 71.7%.The effect of an organic nutrient (yeast extract) on biooxidation during the two-step process was studied. The pyrite and arsenopyrite oxidation levels after 240h of biooxidation under mixotrophic conditions were 73.5% and 95.1%, and the gold recovery level was 77.9%. The effect of the organic nutrient on the microbial population was determined. Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans and Acidithiobacillus caldus were the predominant microorganisms studied under both autotrophic and mixotrophic conditions. Archaeon Acidiplasma sp. MBA-1 was a minor component of the microbial community under autotrophic conditions but was one of the predominant microorganisms studied under mixotrophic conditions. These results suggest that the organic nutrient changed the composition and increased the activity of the microbial population.Thus, a two-step process with organic nutrients added during biooxidation may be considered as an effective strategy for treating refractory pyrite–arsenopyrite concentrates.