The Case for Bioleaching

Since 1986, a variety of sources of published literature have confirmed the stability of the final products from commercial bioleach plants. One such reference entitled “Neutralization of Bioleach Liquors” by Nyombolo et al. of Mintek South Africa (a high-quality, accredited, world class research facility) tested the stability of ferric arsenate precipitates over a 7-year period and concluded the following:

“For all of the tests, the very long-term trend is for an improvement in arsenic stability. Precipitates that are stable initially tend to remain stable, and those that exhibit some instability in the first few years appear to gain in stability after about two years. This is a very encouraging finding, and indicates that fears of a decrease in stability could occur over the long term are unfounded.”