@misc{MarkowskiLohseWagner, author = {Markowski, Jens and Lohse, Anja and Wagner, Holger}, title = {Aggregate for the recovery of gold from thin coatings by hydro-biotechnological methods}, series = {Biomining´21, MEI Conferences, 1 Freeman Collins Drive, Trescobeas Road Falmouth, Cornwall, UK}, journal = {Biomining´21, MEI Conferences, 1 Freeman Collins Drive, Trescobeas Road Falmouth, Cornwall, UK}, editor = {Wills, Barry}, publisher = {MEI Conferences}, address = {Falmouth, UK}, abstract = {Together with industrial partners, a complex apparatus was developed at the Brandenburg Technical University Cottbus-Senftenberg, which can be used to decoat gold-bearing waste from PCB- produc-tion waste and contact stripes using biotechnological methods. As a result, a complete and separate recovery of the gold flakes and the carrier material copper with high purity is possible. The bioleaching process is done with iron and sulfur oxidizing bacteria, especially Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Leptospirilum ferrooxidans and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans. Compared to processes using inorganic acids, shorter leaching times can be achieved, partial regenera-tion and multiple use of the bioleaching solution is possible (more than 10 times with the same leach-ing solution). After optimizing the conditions a process time of only 60 hours was reached. The sepa-rated gold tinsel with a content of over 900 mg/g Au is then fed into a precious metal smelter. Due to the biological leaching and the resulting concentration of the gold components, only < 1 wt.\% of the waste containing precious metals has to be thermally treated.}, language = {en} }