The Prospects For Using Biotechnology For Cobalt And Nickel Recovery From Copper Ores And Solid Waste Materials

Bacteria have long been used for the extraction of copper during dump leaching of sulfide minerals and in the recovery of uranium from mined-out areas. However, bacteria can also be used in extraction of trace metals from copper ores and waste materials. Molybdenum, tungsten, nickel, cobalt, gold, silver, and other strategic metals can potentially be released from ores and wastes by biological processes. The chemistry and biology of these reactions, the potential for using the processes, and the state-of-the-art of the technology will be discussed.