Bioleaching of copper from Kupferschiefer by organic acid and heterotrophic bacteria

Increasing prices of metals and strategic issues such as independent resource access force reconsideration of European Kupferschiefer deposits in Germany. For the mode of exploitation is cost-intensive and the copper content does hardly exceed four percent the processing has to be all the more efficient. This advantage of efficiency as well as ecological friendliness is brought along by biomining – the usage of biological components for metal extraction. For Kupferschiefer (Polkowice, Poland) bears carbonates up to 10 % commonly used bioleaching with acidophilic microorganisms is an issue. Therefore heterotrophic microbes and their metabolites were investigated. Results show copper yields up to nearly 48 % in undirected proof-of-principle batches.