St. Petersburg State Mining University (Russia):

Afanashchenko Ye. S., Graduate, edjikatya@mail.ru

Telyakov N. M., Professor, ptpe_spmi@bk.ru

Dolivo-Dobrovolskaya G. I., Professor, kafmetall@mail.ru

Vasilyev F. M., Graduate, vafyodor@ya.ru

Saltykova S. N., Associate Professor, ssn_58@mail.ru

The article presents the results of the study on determination of bacterial solution effect upon iron recovery from ores with different content of silicon and iron — quartziferous, gold-bearing, nickel-oxidized, as well as from sulfide copper-nickel concentrate. In the course of experiment, the samples were subjected to effect of bacterial medium, and then parallel with non-treated samples were leached in ferric-sulfate (III) Fe₂(SO₄)₃ and sulfuric acid H₂SO₄  solution. Effect of silicate bacteria upon iron recovery from ores with different content of silicon was studied. The work presents the mineralogical characteristic of feed ores, leaching process material balance by Fe³⁺  was compiled, feed ore magnetic fractions were analyzed, following preliminary bacterial treatment, the results of gold-bearing ore and quartziferous ore microstructural analysis prior and after treatment with bacterial solution were presented. In the course of the studies it was established, that preliminary treatment of feed materials with bacterial solution leads to leaching process rate increase. After this treatment, materials' structure and porosity change, as well as chemical composition of phase constituents, and new phases appear. Under effect of leaching solution, iron from solid phase is transferred into solution as Fe³⁺. A considerable increase of magnetic fraction content was detected in quartziferous and gold-bearing ores following preliminary treatment of feed samples with bacterial solution. Magnetic fraction recovery to a considerable degree depends on ore particles size.

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