Mining is constantly evolving, always seeking to improve the use of deposits, to meet the demands of industrial mineral consumption, and also paying attention to sustainability measures. For this reason, because mineral substances are not renewable products, there is an increasing search for processes that generate less damage to the environment and society. In this sense, bioleaching is presented, which is a technique researched since the 19th century, defined as a process of dissolving mineral sulfides under the action of a group of microorganisms, acting in the extraction of low-grade metallic minerals, as an alternative to conventional industrial processes. Therefore, this study consists of a bibliographical review on the use of bioleaching in the mineral industry, aiming to demonstrate the development of the use of bioleaching in mining. To this end, we searched for the terms in Portuguese: "Biolixiviação", "Biolixiviação no Pará", "biohidrometalurgia", "mining microorganisms", and in English we searched for the term "bioleaching", in several databases. 30 studies were found regarding the treatment of ore by bioleaching. Therefore, through the results obtained by each study, a more precise analysis of the panorama of the development of bioleaching as a technique for the treatment of metallic minerals was possible.
|
