Bioleaching of low-grade copper sulfide ore by extremely thermoacidophilic consortia at 70 °C in column reactors

Abstract

The effects of introducing M. sedula derivatives having different Cu²⁺-resistance on bioleaching capacity of a defined consortium (consisting of A. brierleyi DSM1651 and M. hakonensis HO1-1) were studied in column reactors at 70 °C. Introducing M. sedula copA mutant, a copper sensitive derivative, only had negligible effects on bioleaching. While introducing M. sedula ARS50-2, a Cu²⁺ resistant strain, substantially consolidated bioleaching process, with 27.77% more copper recovered after 58 d of bioleaching. Addition of M. sedula ARS50-2 likely enhanced the sulfur oxidation capacity of consortium after the 24th day under the Cu²⁺ stress. The majority of extreme thermoacidophiles were attached on minerals surface as indicated by quantitative PCR (qPCR) data. Successions of microbial community of extremely thermoacidophilic consortia that attached on surface of minerals were different from those in leachate. M. hakonensis HO1-1 was the dominant species attached on minerals surface in each column reactor throughout bioleaching process. The sessile M. sedula ARS50-2 remained as a major species till the 34th day. A. brierleyi DSM1651 was the most abundant planktonic species in leachate of each column reactor. These results highlight that higher Cu²⁺-resistance is a beneficial trait for extreme thermoacidophiles to process copper minerals.

References

[1] NortheyS, MohrS, MuddG M, WengZ, GiurcoD. Modelling future copper ore grade decline based on a detailed assessment of copper resources and mining [J]. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 2014, 83: 190-201

[2] WatlingH R. Review of biohydrometallurgical metals extraction from polymetallic mineral resources [J]. Minerals, 2015, 5: 1-60

[3] ZhaoH-b, ZhangY-s, ZhangX, QianL, SunM-l, YangY, ZhangY-s, WangJ, KimH, QiuG-zhou. The dissolution and passivation mechanism of chalcopyrite in bioleaching: An overview. [J]. Minerals Engineering, 2019, 136: 140-154

[4] LiangY-t, HanJ-w, AiC-b, QinW-qing. Adsorption and leaching behaviors of chalcopyrite by two extreme thermophilic archaea [J]. Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China, 2018, 28(12): 2538-2544

[5] PetersenJ, DixonD G. Thermophilic heap leaching of a chalcopyrite concentrate [J]. Minerals Engineering, 2002, 15: 777-785

[6] PradhanN, NathsarmaK C, Srinivasa RaoK, SuklaL B, MISHRAB K. Heap bioleaching of chalcopyrite: A review [J]. Minerals Engineering, 2008, 21(5): 355-365

[7] ValdS J C, RdenasJ P, QuatriniR, EsparzaM, OsorioH, DuarteF, LefimilC, SepulvedaR, JedlickiE, HolmesD S. Comparative genomics begins to unravel the ecophysiology of bioleaching [J]. Hydrometallurgy, 2010, 104(34): 471-476

[8] AcostaM, GalleguillosP, GhorbaniY, TapiaP, ContadorY, VelsquezA, EspozC, PinillaC, DemergassoC. Variation in microbial community from predominantly mesophilic to thermotolerant and moderately thermophilic species in an industrial copper heap bioleaching operation [J]. Hydrometallurgy, 2014, 150: 281-289

[9] BeckJ. The role of bacteria in copper mining operations [J]. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 1967, 9: 487-497

[10] PandaS, AkcilA, PradhanN, DeveciH. Current scenario of chalcopyrite bioleaching: A review on the recent advances to its heap-leach technology [J]. Bioresource Technology, 2015, 196: 694-706

[11] AiC-b, YanZ, ChaiH-s, GuT-y, WangJ-j, ChaiL-y, QiuG-z, ZengW-min. Increased chalcopyrite bioleaching capabilities of extremely thermoacidophilic Metallosphaera sedula inocula by mixotrophic propagation [J]. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology, 2019, 46(8): 1113-1127

[12] AiC-b, MccarthyS, EckrichV, RudrappaD, QiuG-z, BlumP. Increased acid resistance of the archaeon, Metallosphaera sedula by adaptive laboratory evolution [J]. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology, 2016, 43(10): 1455-1465

[13] AiC-b, LiangY-t, MiaoB, ChenM, ZengW-m, QiuG-zhou. Identification and analysis of a novel gene cluster involves in Fe²⁺ oxidation in Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans ATCC 23270, a typical biomining acidophile [J]. Current Microbiology, 2018, 75(7): 818-826

[14] AiC-b, MccarthyS, LiangY-t, RudrappaD, QiuG-z, BlumP. Evolution of copper arsenate resistance for enhanced enargite bioleaching using the extreme thermoacidophile Metallosphaera sedula [J]. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology, 2017, 44(12): 1613-1625

[15] WatlingH R, WatkinE L J, RalphD E. The resilience and versatility of acidophiles that contribute to the bio-assisted extraction of metals from mineral sulphides [J]. Environmental Technology, 2010, 31(89): 915-933

[16] WatlingH, ShiersD, CollinsonD. Extremophiles in mineral sulphide heaps: Some bacterial responses to variable temperature, acidity and solution composition [J]. Microorganisms, 2015, 3(3): 364-390

[17] McCarthyS, AiC-b, BlumP. Enhancement of Metallosphaera sedula bioleaching by targeted recombination and adaptive laboratory evolution. [J]. Advances in Applied Microbiology, 2018, 104: 135-165

[18] AiC-b, McCarthyS, SchackwitzW, MartinJ, LipzenA, BlumP. Complete genome sequences of evolved arsenate-resistant Metallosphaera sedula strains [J]. Genome Announcement, 2015, 3(5): e01142-15

[19] MaezatoY, JohnsonT, McCarthyS, DanaK, BlumP. Metal resistance and lithoautotrophy in the extreme thermoacidophile Metallosphaera sedula [J]. Journal of Bacteriology, 2012, 194(24): 6856-6863

[20] TakayanagiS, KawasakiH, SugimoriK, YamadaT, SugaiA, ItoT, YamasatoK, ShiodaM. Sulfolobus hakonensis sp. nov, a novel species of acidothermophilic archaeon [J]. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology, 1996, 46(2): 377-382

[21] LiangY-t, ZhuS, WangJ, AiC-b, QinW-qing. Adsorption and leaching of chalcopyrite by Sulfolobus metallicus YN24 cultured in the distinct energy sources [J]. International Journal of Minerals, Metallurgy, and Materials, 2015, 22(6): 549-552

[22] MuirM K, AndersenT N. Determination of ferrous iron in copper-process metallurgical solutions by the o-phenanthroline colorimetric method [J]. Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B, 1977, 8(2): 517-518

[23] ChimpaleeN, ChimpaleeD, SrithawepoonS, PatjarutT, BurnsD T. Flow-injection spectrophotometric determination of copper using bis(cyclohexanone) oxalyldihydrazone [J]. Analytica Chimica Acta, 1995, 304(1): 97-100

[24] AiC-b, YanZ, ZhouH, HouS-s, ChaiL-y, QiuG-z, ZengW-min. Metagenomic insights into the effects of seasonal temperature variation on the activities of activated sludge [J]. Microorganisms, 2019, 7(12): E713

[25] StocklM, TeubnerN C, HoltmannD, MangoldK M, SandW. Extracellular polymeric substances from Geobacter sulfurreducens biofilms in microbial fuel cells [J]. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2019, 1198961-8968

[26] PengT-j, ZhouD, LiuX-d, YuR-I, JiangT, GuG-h, ChenM, QiuG-z, ZengW-min. Enrichment of ferric iron on mineral surface during bioleaching of chalcopyrite [J]. Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China, 2016, 26(2): 544-550

[27] PengT-j, ZhouD, LiuY-d, YuR-I, QiuG-z, ZengW-min. Effects of pH value on the expression of key iron/sulfur oxidation genes during bioleaching of chalcopyrite on thermophilic condition [J]. Annals of Microbiology, 2019, 69(6): 627-635

[28] FranzmannP D, HaddadC M, HawkesR B, RobertsonW J, PlumbJ J. Effects of temperature on the rates of iron and sulfur oxidation by selected bioleaching bacteria and archaea: Application of the Ratkowsky equation [J]. Minerals Engineering, 2005, 18: 1304-1314