XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings/Washington, DC/Sep 29–Oct 3 1637
In contrast, solubilization with sulfuric acid resulted in
greater removal of MgO (38%), but the loss of over 10% of
the value metals. These initial results are promising as they
suggest that the bio-solvent is more selective and nearly as
effective as sulfuric acid. More work is needed to optimize
the leaching process and fine-tune the biosolvent for this
application.
Tailings
The target elements for solubilization of the tailings materi-
als were Mg and Ca, which were present in a range of silicates
including pyroxenes, chlorite, and feldspar, as determined
by XRD. Numerous studies promote the carbon capture
potential present within mining tailings (such as Bullock et
al., 2021), and the search for viable methods for economi-
cally processing tailings at the scale required for carbon
capture is ongoing. Testing was conducted on tailings from
Figure 2. Improved Penalty Element Removal with Minor Adjustment of the Bio-solvent. A small
change in the ratio of bio-solvent components resulted in improved penalty element removal for
one ore type, while other positive impacts remain unchanged (removal of gangue and upgrading
of value metal). Error bars are based on the measurement of 3 samples after multiple contacts
Figure 3. Bio-solvent Selectively Solubilized MgO over Value Elements in Concentrate, as
compared to Sulfuric Acid. Solubilization of Bio-solvent 2 is shown compared to sulfuric acid
after one day of treatment. The bio-solvent was selected to target MgO removal and retain two
value metals, Co and Ni
In contrast, solubilization with sulfuric acid resulted in
greater removal of MgO (38%), but the loss of over 10% of
the value metals. These initial results are promising as they
suggest that the bio-solvent is more selective and nearly as
effective as sulfuric acid. More work is needed to optimize
the leaching process and fine-tune the biosolvent for this
application.
Tailings
The target elements for solubilization of the tailings materi-
als were Mg and Ca, which were present in a range of silicates
including pyroxenes, chlorite, and feldspar, as determined
by XRD. Numerous studies promote the carbon capture
potential present within mining tailings (such as Bullock et
al., 2021), and the search for viable methods for economi-
cally processing tailings at the scale required for carbon
capture is ongoing. Testing was conducted on tailings from
Figure 2. Improved Penalty Element Removal with Minor Adjustment of the Bio-solvent. A small
change in the ratio of bio-solvent components resulted in improved penalty element removal for
one ore type, while other positive impacts remain unchanged (removal of gangue and upgrading
of value metal). Error bars are based on the measurement of 3 samples after multiple contacts
Figure 3. Bio-solvent Selectively Solubilized MgO over Value Elements in Concentrate, as
compared to Sulfuric Acid. Solubilization of Bio-solvent 2 is shown compared to sulfuric acid
after one day of treatment. The bio-solvent was selected to target MgO removal and retain two
value metals, Co and Ni