Microbes Assisted Mineral Flotation a Future Prospective for Mineral Processing Industries: A Review

The latest advancements in mineral biotechnology developed environmental benign microbial flotation processes for mineral beneficiation. Several studies were conducted to evaluate the microbes and microbial metabolites as flotation reagents for separation of gangue materials from valuable minerals. The available scientific literatures on microbial flotation process suggest that, interactions of minerals with cells of certain bacteria and microbial metabolites have a significant effect on their surface properties. As a consequence, bacterial cells belong to genera Acidithiobacillus, Leptospirillum, Mycobacterium, Staphylococcus, and Bacillus, etc., and microbial metabolites such as bio-surfactants, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and nucleic acid have been used as collectors and surface modifiers in the mineral flotation process. The characteristic properties of the microbial surfactants such as their abilities to lower surface tensions and foaming capacity prompted their application as frother in mineral flotation process. To date, microbial flotations have primarily studied in laboratory scale; however, there is ample scope to expand this eco-friendly process for mineral processing industries. The current review addresses the recent developments and applications of microorganisms and bio-molecules in mineral flotation processes.