Newmont Mining Corporation

University of Notre Dame Du Lac

Energy Biosystems Corporation

Newmont Gold Company

Charles F Kulpa

James A Brierley

Daniel J Monticello

Steven W Johnson

Phillip R Gibbs

The present invention relates to a method for separating a sulfur compound from a fossil fuel containing sulfur compounds comprising contacting said fossil fuel with a biosorption agent which binds said sulfur compound, thereby forming a sulfur-biosorption complex and separating said sulfur-biosorption complex. The method can further include introducing said separated sulfur biosorption complex to an aqueous phase having an effective amount of oxygen and water to form a reaction medium, optionally adding a biocatalyst which degrades the sulfur compound; incubating the medium for a sufficient period of time to produce an organic product, an inorganic sulfur and spent biocatalyst; and isolating said biosorption agent and/or biocatalyst from said organic product and said inorganic sulfur. The invention also relates to the preparation of the products of the oxidation reaction of organic sulfur compounds by a biocatalyst, such as 2-hydroxybiphenyl compounds.

Method for separating a sulfur compound from carbonaceous materials

A method is provided for the recovery of precious metal values, such as gold and silver, from refractory carbonaceous, or carbonaceous-sulfidic ore material. The ore material is inoculated using a specific microbial consortium and then incubated to deactivate the carbonaceous component of the material to prevent binding of the precious metal values to the carbonaceous component. The precious metal is then recovered.

Biometallurgical treatment of precious metal ores having refractory

A method is provided for the recovery of precious metals, such as gold and silver, from refractory carbonaceous sulfidic material. The carbonaceous sulfidic material is ground and placed in heaps or piles or pulped or slurried and bioleached to oxidize the sulfide minerals using bacteria at temperatures from about 15.degree. C. and up to about 40.degree. C. The biooxidized residue is then treated using a specific microbial consortium, or a product of the microbial consortium, at temperature from about 5.degree. C. to 40.degree. C. to deactivate the carbonaceous component of the material to prevent binding of the precious metal to the carbonaceous component. The precious metal liberated in the residue remaining from the biological oxidation of sulfide and deactivation of carbon are recovered by dissolution.

Microbial consortium treatment of refractory precious metal ores

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Niles, MI, United States of America

Charles F Kulpa