Microbial recovery of metals from spent catalysts. Quarterly report, January--March 1991

Technical Report · Tue Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1991

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10169762· OSTI ID:10169762

Sperl, P L; Sperl, G T

This project was initiated on October 1, 1989, for the purpose of recovering metals from spent coal liquefaction catalysts. Two catalyst types are the subject of the contract. The first is a Ni-Mo catalyst supported on alumina (Shell 324) as is used in a pilot scale coal liquefaction facility at Wilsonville, Alabama. This plant is run and operated by Southern Clean Fuels. A large sample of spent catalyst from this facility has been obtained. The second material is an unsupported ammonium molybdate catalyst used in a pilot process by the Department of Energy at the Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center. This material was obtained in late February 1990 but has not been pursued since the No content of this particular sample is too low for the current studies and no new catalyst has since been obtained. The object of the contract is to treat these spent catalysts with microorganisms, especially Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, but also other Thiobacillus sp. and possibly Sulfolobus, to leach and remove the metals (Ni and Mo) from the spent catalysts into a form which can be readily recovered by conventional techniques.

• Research Organization: Geo-Microbial Technologies, Inc., Ochelata, OK (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC22-89PC89881
• OSTI ID: 10169762
• Report Number(s): DOE/PC/89881-T6; ON: DE92019003
• Resource Relation: Other Information: PBD: [1991]
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
METALS
MATERIALS RECOVERY
COAL LIQUEFACTION
CATALYSTS
NICKEL
CATALYTIC EFFECTS
MOLYBDENUM
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
MOLYBDATES
MICROORGANISMS
PROGRESS REPORT
THIOBACILLUS FERROXIDANS
LEACHING
010405
550700
HYDROGENATION AND LIQUEFACTION
MICROBIOLOGY