The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 07, 1992
Filed:
Aug. 20, 1991
James A Brierley, Sandy, UT (US);
Charles F Kulpa, Niles, MI (US);
Newmont Mining Corporation, Denver, CO (US);
Abstract
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.