Bioleaching of chalcocite by mixed microorganisms subjected to mutation

Abstract

Mixed microorganisms with elevated activity of chalcocite-leaching were screened by mutation methods. The original microorganisms collected from acid mine drainage of different sites were mixed and then treated with mutagens NO₂⁻, diethyl sulfate (DES), UV and their combinations, respectively. Five groups of mixed microorganisms with much stronger ore-leaching ability were obtained by screening on the leaching media. Among them, group E of mixed microorganisms (treated with 1% DES for 60 min) with the best performance on chalcocite-leaching, increases the content of Cu²⁺ by 101.4% in 20 d of leaching compared with the control culture. In addition, group E is more tolerant to Cu²⁺ in media than the control without mutation treatment. Analysis for the diversity of microbial clones indicates that half of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in group E are Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. These observations suggest that group E might have potentials for industrial application.

Keywords

chalcocite / mixed microorganisms / bioleaching / mutation

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