Sulfur speciation transformation during bioleaching of pyrite-containing sphalerite concentrate by thermophile Sulfolobus metallicus at 65 °C

Abstract

Sulfur speciation transformation during bioleaching of pyrite-containing sphalerite concentrate by thermophile Sulfolobus metallicus (S. metallicus) at 65 °C was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy (XANES). The results show that the presence of S. metallicus effectively enhances the dissolution of the mineral. The yield of zinc increases from 0.5 g/L in sterile control to 2.7 g/L in bioleaching. The pyrite in the concentrate facilitates zinc dissolution in the early stage, but has hindrance role in the late stage for the formation of jarosite. Sulfur speciation analyses show that jarosite and elemental sulfur are main products in bioleaching process, and the accumulation of jarosite is mainly responsible for the decline of leaching efficiency.

Keywords

sphalerite / bioleaching / Sulfolobus metallicus / sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) / sulfur speciation transformation

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