Biological ore processing for the isolation of heavy metals

US10501822B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Cyplus GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Stephen Gos · Miltenberg, DE
• Andrea Christiansen · Rostock, DE
• Xin Lu · Palo Alto, US
• Guido Meurer · Seeheim-Jugenheim, DE
• Yvonne Tiffert · Mannheim, DE
• Esther Gabor · Zwingenberg, DE
• Benedikt Hoffmann · Aschaffenburg, DE
• Martin Langer · Karlsruhe, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 30, 2016
• Grant date: Dec 10, 2019
• Expiry date: Mar 30, 2036

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02P10/20
• WIPO field: Biotechnology
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

The invention provides a process of isolating or enriching a heavy metal present in a suspension containing a particulate mineral ore containing a heavy metal, comprising the following steps: incubating a suspension containing (i) a particulate mineral ore containing a heavy metal and (ii) biomass comprising a bacterium capable of binding the heavy metal; separating the biomass having bound heavy metal from the suspension of the previous step; and isolating the heavy metal from the biomass separated in the previous step.