Scientific Research Geotechnological Center, Far Eastern Branch of RAS (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia)

Iodis V. A., Leading Researcher, Candidate of Engineering Sciences, iodisva@mail.ru
Ocheretyana S. O., Senior Researcher, Candidate of Biological Sciences, blossom-so@yandex.ru

This study examines the bacterial-chemical leaching process for extracting nickel, copper, and cobalt from sulfide ore of the Shanuch deposit (Kamchatka), utilizing ultrasonic radiation to enhance the leaching efficiency. For the experiment, ultrasonic vibrations were applied at an intensity of 21.0 W/cm2 and a frequency of 22 kHz, with a total generator power of 400 W. The ultrasonic treatment was conducted for 30 minutes in a flow chamber setup. The results showed significant improvements in metal recovery during bacterialchemical leaching with ultrasonic treatment, achieving 79.42 % recovery for nickel and 72.55 % recovery for cobalt. In contrast, the leaching process without ultrasound resulted in much lower extraction rates — 2.65 times lower for nickel and 2.49 times lower for cobalt. However, the copper extraction remained relatively low at 24.07 %, though ultrasonic treatment enhanced copper extraction by 1.58 times compared to the non-ultrasonic process. Experiments also demonstrated that bacterial-chemical leaching, with an ore pulp solid-to-liquid ratio of 1 : 5 and a bacterial suspension solid-to-liquid ratio of 1 : 7, resulted in polymetallic solutions containing up to 3.59 g/L of nickel, 0.171 g/L of copper, and 0.0984 g/L of cobalt. To further optimize metal recovery, continued research should focus on varying ore pulp and bacterial suspension densities in bacterialchemical leaching, as well as adjusting ultrasonic exposure duration, frequency, and intensity.

1. Metals market review. URL: https://nornickel.ru/investors/reports-and-results/commodity-research/ (accessed: 11.12.2024).
2. Lapteva A. M., Mustafa T. S., Smolnikova A. V., Chernova A. D. Assessment of potential efficient development of the World ocean ferromanganese nodules in the context of global copper, nickel, cobalt and manganese market evolution. Rudy i Metally. 2021. No. 1. pp. 6–25.
3. Antropova M. Yu. Mechanisms of the impact of global economic crises on the development of the world nickel market. Innovatsii i Investitsii. 2023. No. 1. pp. 46–48.
4. Antropova M. Yu. Development trends world markets of non-ferrous metals in the conditions of energy transition (on the example of nickel). Ekonomika i Predprinimatelstvo. 2022. No. 10. pp. 615–618.
5. Faramarzi M. A., Mogharabi-Manzari M., Brandl H. Bioleaching of metals from wastes and low-grade sources by HCN-forming microorganisms. Hydrometallurgy. 2020. Vol. 191. DOI: 10.1016/j.hydromet.2019.105228
6. Sun J., Wen J., Wu B., Chen B. Mechanism for the biooxidation and decomposition of pentlandite: implication for nickel bioleaching at elevated pH. Minerals. 2020. Vol. 10. DOI: 10.3390/min1003028
7. Musikhin V. O. Study ultrasonic activation coppernickel ores for the process of bioleaching in the environment 9 for Silverman and Lundgren. Gornyi Informatsionno-analiticheskiy Byulleten'. 2016. No. S31. pp. 280–312.
8. Musikhin V. O. Investigation of the influence of the ultrasound on the culture of acidophilic chemolithrophic organisms in 9K Silverman and Lundgren environment with addition of Fe (II). Gornyi Informatsionno-analiticheskiy Byulleten'. 2017. No. S32. pp. 256–263.
9. Musikhin V. O. Effect of periodic ultrasonic irradiation on the oxidation of iron ions by mixed culture of acidophilic chemolitotrophic microorganisms. Gornyi Informatsionno-analiticheskiy Byulleten'. 2018. No. S57. pp. 256–263.
10. Iodis V. A. Calculation of optimal intensity of ultrasonic vibrations for removal of oxide films from the surface of ore pulp particles. Non-Ferrous Metals. 2023. No. 2. pp. 10–13.
11. Iodis V. A., Koydan I. A. Investigation of oxide films removal process from the ore pulp particle surface during its ultrasonic treatment. Non-Ferrous Metals. 2024. No. 1. pp. 8–12.
12. Trukhin Yu. P., Iodis V. A., Khainasova T. S. Microwave and ultrasound activation of kinetics of bacterialchemical processes of leaching of cobalt-copper-nickel ores of the Shanuch deposit. Gornyi Informatsionno-analiticheskiy Byulleten'. 2021. No. S19. pp. 113–123.
13. Hu Y., Guo P., Wang S., Zhang L. Leaching kinetics of antimony from refractory gold ore in alkaline sodium sulfide under ultrasound. Chemical Engineering Research and Design. 2020. Vol. 164. pp. 219–229.
14. Lu J., Wang N., Yuan Z., Zhang Q., Li L., Wang Z. The effects of ultrasonic wave on heterogeneous coagulation and flotation separation of pentlandite-serpentine. Minerals Engineering. 2022. Vol. 188. DOI: 10.1016/j.mineng.2022.107828
15. Kallaev I. T., Kukhtina A. A., Kukhtina P. A., Nikolaeva N. V. Impact of ultrasound on grindability of coppermolybdenum ores. Uspekhi Sovremennogo Estestvoznaniya. 2024. No 5. pp. 90–97.
16. Zarembo L. K. Acoustic currents. Physics and technology of powerful ultrasound. Vol. 2. Powerful ultrasonic fields. Ed. L. D. Rosenberg. Moscow: Nauka, 1968. pp. 87–128.
17. Glembotsky V. A., Sokolov M. A., Yakubovich I. A., et al. Ultrasound in mineral processing. Alma-Ata: Nauka, 1972. 229 p.
18. Agranat B. A., Dubrovin M. N., Khavskiy N. N., et al. Fundamentals of physics and ultrasound technology. Moscow: Vysshaya Shkola, 1987. 352 p.
19. Chernykh S. I., Rybakova O. I., Lebedev N. M., Zhirnova T. I. On the issue of studying the influence of ultrasound, magnetic fields and electric current on gold flotation. Tsvetnaya Metallurgiya. 2003. No. 6. pp. 15–21.
20. Blayda I. A., Vasyleva T. V., Semenov K. I. Impact of ultrasound on coal desulfurization and process of bioleaching of metals. Mikrobiologiya i Biotekhnologiya. 2017. No. 4. pp. 6–20.
21. Iodis V. A. Development of a reactor scheme with microwave activation of bacterial suspension for bacterialchemical oxidation of cobalt-copper-nickel ores. Gornyi Informatsionno-analiticheskiy Byulleten'. 2022. No. S10. pp. 195–203.
22. Khmelev V. N., Barsukov R. V., Barsukov A. R., Tsyganok S. N., Nesterov V. A. Ultrasonic technological apparatus with five working tools of different diameters for scientific research. Yuzhno-Sibirskiy Nauchnyi Vestnik. 2022. No. 4. pp. 106–109.
23. Iodis V. A. Lab-scale reactor for ultrasonic treatment of cobalt-copper-nickel ore pulp. Gornyi Zhurnal. 2023. No. 12. pp. 81–87.
24. Khainasova T. S. Bacterial-chemical leaching of sulphide cobalt-copper-nickel ore in laboratory conditions using inocula. Vestnik Dalnevostochnogo Otdeleniya Rossiyskoy Akademii Nauk. 2014. No. 4. pp. 101–107.
25. Khainasova T. S. Bioleaching of sulfide cobalt-coppernickel ore using the standard and modified 9K media. Uspekhi Sovremennogo Estestvoznaniya. 2019. No. 12. pp. 175–180.