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West Virginia University

Bioleaching and electrobioleaching of sulfide minerals

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and pyrite, were leached using a bioleaching mode and an electrobioleaching mode. The former mode was used to teach the minerals with the bacterium A. ferrooxidans in a bioreactor. In the latter mode, the leaching of the minerals was performed in a combination of a bioreactor and an electrochemical cell. The idea is that an increase in Fe(II) concentration, which is a nutrient of the bacteria, by electrochemical reduction of Fe(III) would increase the bacterial population and in turn would accelerate the leaching of the mineral.;It has been found that the electrobioleaching of chalcopyrite and pyrite is superior to the bioleaching in particular with respect to the fact that leaching conversion is higher and a high level of Fe(II) can be maintained. However, the electrobioleaching of sphalerite does not show an improvement over bioleaching.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
MS
Level thesis:degree_level
Thesis
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
Year dc:date.available
2005

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Conner, Brian D.
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Eung Ha Cho.

Subjects

dc:subject × 1

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:researchrepository.wvu.edu:etd-2591

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
West Virginia University
Base URL
researchrepository.wvu.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Conner, Brian D.. Bioleaching and electrobioleaching of sulfide minerals. Thesis thesis, 2005. https://doi.org/10.33915/etd.1588