The influence of sodium chloride on dissolution of chalcopyrite and surface sulfur speciation during bioleaching of chalcopyrite with the extreme thermophile Acidianus manzaensis YN-25 was studied. The addition of sodium chloride accelerated the dissolution of chalcopyrite by reducing the accumulation of elemental sulfur layers on the mineral surface, resulting in an increase in the concentrati...

The present work deals with the bioremediation of a sediment sample contaminated by heavy metals, collected in the Ancona harbour, Italian Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean Sea. Bioleaching of the sediment was performed with a mixed culture of acidophilic, chemi-autotrophic Fe/S oxidising bacteria, in the presence of elemental sulphur as substrate. Such element resulted to be fundamental both for cel...

In the light of an expected supply shortage of rare earth elements (REE) measures have to be undertaken for an efficient use in all kinds of technical, medical, and agricultural applications as well as—in particular—in REE recycling from post-use goods and waste materials. Biologicallybased methods might offer an alternative and supplement to physico-chemical techniques for REE recovery and rec...

A multitude of microbes are involved in the solubilisation of minerals and metals as this approach offers numerous advantages over traditional methods. This strategy is preferred as it is eco-friendly and economical, thus overcoming the drawbacks of the traditional approach of pyrometallurgy. Many different types of bacteria are employed in the process of Bioleaching, which are collectively gro...

in this research work, the zinc extraction was investigated, using bioleaching process from a low grade zinc concentrate which was produced from the accumulated flotation tailings. zinc content was initially upgraded to 11.97% by flotation process. bioleaching experiments were designed and carried out by a mixed culture of acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, acidithiobacillus thiooxidans, leptospir...

Mineral ores are full of metals, some very precious – but how to extract them? The Hamersley mines in the Pilbara in Western Australia contain such rich iron ore that it can almost be welded as it comes out of the ground. Traditionally, metals are extracted by ‘smelting’ or pyrometallurgy, the thermal treatment of minerals and metallurgical ores and concentrates to bring about physical and chem...

The use of recoverable sulfur particles will enhance the feasibility and reduce the cost of bioleaching process. Three different forms of sulfur particles, powder, pastilles and pellets were used to study the utilization and recovery of sulfur, used as energy source for thiobacilli in the bioleaching process. The Langmuir isotherm was used to explain the adsorption equilibrium existing between ...

Bioleaching, a novel biotechnological process, is used to eliminate heavy metals from contaminated sediments by acidification as well as solubilization of heavy metals. Metals from poor-quality ore and mineral compounds are removed by Bioleaching process, which is simple and low cost effective technology. Acidophilic sulfur oxidizing bacteria (Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Acidithiobacillus t...

In an effort to develop alternate techniques to recover metals from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), this research evaluated the bioleaching efficiency of gold (Au), copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) by two strains of Aspergillus niger in the presence of gold-plated finger integrated circuits found in computer motherboards (GFICMs) and cellular phone printed circuit boards (PCBs). Th...

Bioleaching has been employed commercially to recover metals from low grade ores, but the production efficiency remains to be improved due to limited understanding of the system. This study examined the shift of microbial communities and S&Fe cycling in three subsystems within a copper ore bioleaching system: leaching heap (LH), leaching solution (LS) and sediment under LS. Results showed that ...