Bioprocessing of nickeliferous sulphidic wastes from mining activities

我们建议调查由斯特拉塔镍冶炼业务在萨德伯里，安大略省，即含镍磁黄铁矿精矿产生的冶金废物流的生物处理的适应性。这是一种铁硫矿物(约为。化学计量学Fe1-xS)，因为不适合冶炼而被拒绝。大量储存在水下的池塘里。被丢弃的磁黄铁矿中含有约1%wt的固溶体镍，这些镍从斯特拉塔的潜在生产能力中流失，并因具有巨大的酸性矿山排水潜力而构成环境风险。该概念是开发一种使用工业残渣作为原料的工艺，以回收有价值的资源（即镍）并降低残渣的毒性。除了饲料是加拿大资源外，不需要额外的开采。我们建议协助开发新技术，以低成本的方法处理这些废物流。这是基于生物技术在铜和金提取领域的最新进展而进行的生物处理，但不是利用细菌辅助浸出镍。这种技术将为在加拿大广泛开展生物浸出作业开辟道路，并通过低成本和对环境负责的工艺振兴矿物经济。该项目汇集了五个合作伙伴，即斯特拉塔镍业，安大略省卓越中心，矿业创新卓越中心和NSERC，作为资助机构和多伦多大学作为研究的执行者。多伦多大学的湿法冶金、生物修复和代谢建模小组将组成团队，参与跨学科的研究工作。三名MASc学生，一名PDF和至少两名本科生将在合作环境和最先进的生物处理设施中接受为期两年的培训。

We propose to investigate the amenability to bio-processing of a metallurgical waste stream produced by the Xstrata Nickel smelting operations in Sudbury, Ontario, namely nickeliferous pyrrhotite concentrate. This is an iron-sulphur mineral (approx. stoichiometry Fe1-xS) that is rejected because it is unsuitable for smelting. Large quantities are stored in ponds under water. The rejected pyrrhotite contains about 1%wt of nickel in solid solution which is lost from Xstrata's potential production capacity and poses an environmental risk by having an enormous potential for acid mine drainage. The concept is the development of a process using an industrial residue as the feed material to recover a valuable resource (i.e., nickel) and reduce the toxicity of the residue. Apart from the feed being a Canadian resource, no additional mining is required. We propose to assist the development of new technology to treat this waste stream by a low-cost process. That is by bioprocessing based on recent advances in biotechnology in the areas of copper and gold extraction, but not on nickel, by employing bacterially assisted leaching. Such technology will open the road for widespread bio-leach operations in Canada, and revitalize the minerals economy by low-cost and environmentally responsible processes. The project brings together five partners, namely Xstrata Nickel, the Ontario Centers of Excellence, the Center for Excellence in Mining Innovation and NSERC, as funding agencies and the University of Toronto as the executioner of the research. The hydrometallurgy, bioremediation and metabolic modelling groups of the University of Toronto will team-up and engage in an interdisciplinary research effort. Three MASc students, one PDF and at least two undergraduate students will be trained in a collaborative environment and state-of-the-art bioprocessing facilities over a period of two years.