Bioleaching & Phytomining Flashcards

All 6 cards in this deck

What is bioleaching?

Using bacteria to break down low-grade ores, producing a leachate solution containing metal compounds.

Give one disadvantage of bioleaching as a method of extracting metals.

It is very slow / low yield / toxic substances such as sulfuric acid can be produced / the leachate needs further processing.

Give one advantage of extracting a metal by phytoextraction rather than from its ore.

It decontaminates the ground / conserves ore reserves / allows use of low-grade ore / less noise from mining.

Give one disadvantage of phytoextraction as a method of extracting metals.

It is slow / needs a large area of land / only extracts metal from the ground surface / the metal still needs further extraction.

What is phytoextraction?

Using plants to absorb metal compounds from the soil, so the metal can later be recovered from the plants.

How is the metal obtained from the leachate produced by bioleaching?

Electrolysis of the solution, or adding a more reactive metal to displace it.

e.g. scrap iron added to a leachate containing copper ions leaves copper metal.