Microbial Recovery and Kinetic Study of Vanadium Dissolution from Pure Vanadium Oxide in Order to Extract it from Uranium Ore Residues

Abstract

Vanadium is an expensive and practical metal in different industries, and in Iran, in particular uranium ore residues contain a considerable amount of this metal. In this investigation reductive dissolution of vanadium using two strains, acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and acidithiobacillus thiooxidans, in two pulp densities, of 0.5 and 1g/l, were surveyed at 30˚C, and 180 rpm. Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans adapted to the medium sooner than the acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and had a better result in dissolution of vanadium. In 0.5 and 1g/l, more than 90% of vanadium was disolved by acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans during 6 and 12 days, respectively and by acidithiobacillus thiooxidans in a period of 9 and 20 days, respectively. The experimental data were fitted to first and second order kinetic models, and it was observed that vanadium dissolution followed the second order kinetic model correctly.

Keywords

• microbial recovery
• vanadium
• kinetic