About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2027 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Energy Technologies and CO2 Management: Resource Efficient Processes
|
| Presentation Title |
Enhanced Chalcopyrite Leaching and Carbon Utilization through CO2-Assisted Bioleaching |
| Author(s) |
Xinbo Yang, Emmanuel Yaw Owusu-Fordjour, Jacob Burke, Michael L. Free, Rick Honaker |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Xinbo Yang |
| Abstract Scope |
Bioleaching offers a low-energy alternative for extracting metals from sulfide resources, but its productivity can be constrained by slow mineral oxidation kinetics, surface passivation, and the need to maintain adequate oxygen and carbon dioxide (CO₂) transfer for microbial activity. This study investigates the integration of CO₂ supplementation into bioleaching systems to enhance bio-oxidation performance and promote biological carbon utilization. An acidophilic microbial consortium was first acclimated to increasing chalcopyrite concentrations in a pyrite-based bioleaching system. At a chalcopyrite loading of 12.8 g/L, the dissolved Cu concentration reached approximately 2500 ppm, corresponding to approximately 64% Cu recovery. Continuous bioreactor experiments were conducted to evaluate the influence of CO₂ addition on microbial activity, sulfide oxidation, and carbon fixation behavior. Results showed that bio-oxidation rates increased substantially with reducing the residence times to 2.5 days, reaching approximately 4~5 g FeČ⁺/L/h under 2 vol% CO₂ operation. Solid-phase carbon fixation rates increased from approximately 20.42 mg CO₂-eq/L/h at a 10-day residence time to 88.93 mg CO₂-eq/L/h at 2.5 days under air-only operation. With 2 vol% CO₂, the rate reached 100.57 mg CO₂-eq/L/h at 2.5 days, while the strongest response to CO₂ supplementation occurred at a 5-day residence time. These results demonstrate the potential to integrate critical-metal extraction with carbon management in bio-hydrometallurgical processes. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Extraction and Processing, Hydrometallurgy, Sustainability |