Bioleaching of Chalcopyrite by Thermophilic Archaea

Jin Long Song; Shuang Jiang Liu; Chengying Jiang

doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.1130.338

Paper Titles

Bioreactor Process Optimization for Bioleaching of Fine-Grained Residues from Copper Smelting
p.321

Microstructure Evolution of Ore Particles during Bioleaching Based on X-Ray Micro-Computed Tomography Images
p.325

Biooxidation of a Gold-Arsenic Sulphide Concentrate by a Two-Stage Oxidation Using Consecutively Acidophilic and Neutrophilic Bacteria
p.329

Blue-Copper Proteins: Expression of Coding Genes from Sulfobacillus Spp. and Iron Oxidation in Column Bioleaching Tests
p.333

Bioleaching of Chalcopyrite by Thermophilic Archaea
p.338

Comparative Study of Iron and Sulfur Speciation Transformation of Pyrite and Marcasite by Extreme Thermophilic Archaea Acidianus manzaensis
p.342

Reductive Dissolution of Iron Oxides and Manganese Bioleaching by Acidiphilium cryptum JF-5
p.347

Reductive Dissolution of Ferric Iron in Laterite Overburden Using Acidithiobacillus Spp. and Neutrophilic Iron-Reducing Consortia
p.351

Primary Copper Ore Leaching by Leaching Solution Adjusted Oxidation-Reduction Potential in Column
p.355

HomeAdvanced Materials ResearchAdvanced Materials Research Vol. 1130Bioleaching of Chalcopyrite by Thermophilic...

Bioleaching of Chalcopyrite by Thermophilic Archaea

Abstract:

Bioleaching and biooxidation of sulfidic ores and concentrates generate very high acidities and a great of heat, which rise the temperature in the reactors or heaps, and accumulate the sulfur on the surface of the ores. Extremely thermoacidophilic archaea, mainly from the genus of Acidianus, Sulfolobus, Metallosphaera and sulfurisphaera, have great potential to contribute to biomining processes for their inherent tolerance for low pH, high temperature, and high-soluble metal concentrations. Species of the genus Metallosphaera typically grow by aerobic respiration on CO₂ with S⁰, tetrathionate (S₄O₆²⁺), and Fe²⁺as electron donors, particularly suitble for metal extraction under high temperature by their iron- and sulfur-oxidation ability. Several species from Metallosphaera and Acidianus genera were investigated for their ability and conditions to dissolve various ores under a range of conditions. All of them showed good performance in copper extraction from chalcopyrite, with strain M.cuprina Ar-4 displaying higher activity than others. Surface analysis of chalcopyrite leached with the strain showed the leaching products accumulated on the ores. Our study will cover new understandings on the application of these thermoacidophilic archaea in biomining.