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Copper extraction from low-grade chalcopyrite in a bioleaching column assisted by bioelectrochemical system

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Abstract

Low-grade ores, tailings, and solid wastes contain small amounts of valuable heavy metals. Improper disposal of these substances results in the waste of resources and contamination of soil or groundwater. Accordingly, the treatment and recycling of low-grade ores, tailings, and solid wastes attracted much attention recently. Bioelectrochemical system, an innovative technology for the removal and recovery of heavy metals, has been further developed and applied in recent years. In the current study, the low-grade chalcopyrite was bioleached with the assistance of microbial fuel cells. Copper extraction along with electricity generation from the low-grade chalcopyrite was achieved in the column bioleaching process assisted by MFCs. Results showed that after 197 days bioleaching of low-grade chalcopyrite, 423.9 mg copper was extracted from 200 g low-grade chalcopyrite and the average coulomb production reached 1.75 C/d. The introduction of MFCs into bioleaching processes promoted the copper extraction efficiency by 2.7 times (3.62% vs. 1.33%), mainly via promoting ferrous oxidation, reducing ORP, and stimulating bacterial growth. This work provides a feasible method for the treatment and recycling of low-grade ores, tailings, and solid wastes. But balancing energy consumption of aeration and circulation frequency and chemical consumption of acid to improve the copper extraction efficiency need further investigation.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21577108).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430000, China

    Xueming Zhang, Shaohui Zhang, Tao Huang & Zhixin Jin

  2. Hubei Key Laboratory of Fuel Cell, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430000, China

    Shaohui Zhang

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  1. Xueming Zhang
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  2. Shaohui Zhang
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  3. Tao Huang
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Contributions

Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by XZ and TH. The first draft of the manuscript was written by XZ. ZJ helped review the writing of the draft manuscript. SZ made a critical editing and reviewing of the whole manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Shaohui Zhang.

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Zhang, X., Zhang, S., Huang, T. et al. Copper extraction from low-grade chalcopyrite in a bioleaching column assisted by bioelectrochemical system. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 35459–35470 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-18283-8

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