Appeal No. 1998-1855 2
Application No. 08/459,537
THE INVENTION
The invention is directed to a process for the recovery of metal values from an
ore containing the metal values. The ore additionally contains sulfur having an oxidation
state of zero or less. The process requires forming particulates from particles of the ore
and a bacterial inoculate. The ore present contains at least 0.2% by weight sulfide and
less than 12% moisture. Additional features of the claimed subject matter are set forth
in the following illustrative claims.
THE CLAIMS
Claims 1, 27, and 33 are illustrative of appellants’ invention and are reproduced
below:
1. A process for the recovery of one or more metal values from a metal
ore material comprising those one or more values and a matrix material having a
sulfur content wherein the sulfur is present in an oxidation-reduction state of zero
or less consisting essentially of the following steps:
a. forming particulates from particles of said metal ore material
and an inoculate comprising bacteria capable of at least
partially oxidizing the sulfur content;
b. forming a heap of said particulates;
c. biooxidizing the sulfur content and
d. recovering said one or more values, wherein
said ore contains at least 0.2% by weight sulfide and said particulates
comprise less than 12% by weight moisture.
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