Extraction of germanium from lead-zinc production waste by chemical and microbiological methods

Chem. Met. Alloys 4 (2011) 206-212

https://doi.org/10.30970/cma4.0185

Iryna A. BLAYDA, Tetyana V. VASYLYEVA, Larysa I. SLYUSARENKO, Valentyna F. KHYTRYCH, Iryna M. BARBA, Nataliya Yu. VASYLYEVA

The results of extraction of germanium from lead-zinc production waste by direct acid leaching and microbiological leaching by thiobacteria, using raw or previously annealed material, are compared. It was found that the phase composition of the initial material influences the yield of germanium leaching during the chemical treatment, e.g. the existence of germanium as isomorphous admixtures in phases that are difficult to be opened. The use of thiobacteria for germanium leaching allows transferring 80‑100% of the metal and accompanying components into solution in 1‑2 days, independently of the phase composition of the raw material. The role of microorganisms present in the initial germanium-containing material in the processes of the so-called chemical leaching of metals has been studied. The bacterial-chemical nature of hydrometallurgical processes was determined for the application in non-aggressive pH-range media as leaching solutions.

X-ray diffraction patterns of the initial lead-zinc product

Keywords

Germanium / Leaching / Annealing / Redistillation / Thiobacteria / Strains