A legacy of coal mining in the Appalachians has provided a unique opportunity to study the ecological niches of iron-oxidizing microorganisms. Mine-impacted, anoxic groundwater with high dissolved-metal concentrations emerges at springs and seeps associated with iron oxide mounds and deposits. These deposits are colonized by iron-oxidizing microorganisms that in some cases efficiently remove mo...

Extremely acidophilic iron-oxidizing bacteria have largely been characterized for the phyla Proteobacteria and Nitrospira. Here, we report the draft genome of an iron-oxidizing and -reducing heterotrophic mesophile of the Actinobacteria, Ferrimicrobium acidiphilum, which was isolated from an abandoned pyrite mine. The genome sequence comprises 3.08 Mb.

This study characterises the total As concentrations and As bioaccessibility in 109 soils from Devon Great Consols Mine, an abandoned Cu-As mine in Devon, SW England, UK and discusses the soil and mineralogical factors that influence the bioaccessibility of this element. These data provide the basis for developing more accurate exposure estimates for use in human health risk assessments. The me...

Rod-shaped bacteria capable of oxidizing ferrous iron at 55 degrees C were cultured from samples of a copper mine leach dump. Yeast extract or cysteine was required by these Thiobacillus-like bacteria for growth, using ferrous iron as an energy source.

Background: Barapukuria coal mine which has been operating from 2002 is situated in such a location that is dependent on agriculture. Pollution from Coal mining poses a huge risk to the ecosystem and surrounding soil. So, there could be some impact of the Barapukuria coal mine on the surrounding soil. The main aim of this study is to identify the soil quality of the study area and also see how ...

[1] Iron-hydroxysulfate minerals can be important hosts for metals such as lead, mercury, copper, zinc, silver, chromium, arsenic, and selenium and for radionuclides such as Ra. These mineral-bound contaminants are considered immobilized under oxic conditions. However, when anoxic conditions develop, the activities of sulfateor iron-reducing bacteria could result in mineral dissolution, releasi...

The microbial composition of acid streamers (macroscopic biofilms) in acidic, metal-rich waters in two locations (an abandoned copper mine and a chalybeate spa) in north Wales was studied using cultivation-based and biomolecular techniques. Known chemolithotrophic and heterotrophic acidophiles were readily isolated from disrupted streamers, but they accounted for only <1 to 7% of the total micr...

Estimation of ore reserves is one of the most critical aspects of mining geology. The accurate assessment of the tonnage and grade of run of mine may be the difference between a healthy profitable operation and an expensive early mine closure. The first step in ore reserve estimation is to determine the boundary of ore body or ore/waste contacts. This paper presents a specific mining applicatio...

A new acidophilic iron-oxidizing strain (C25) belonging to the novel genus Acidithrix was isolated from pelagic iron-rich aggregates ('iron snow') collected below the redoxcline of an acidic lignite mine lake. Strain C25 catalysed the oxidation of ferrous iron [Fe(II)] under oxic conditions at 25 °C at a rate of 3.8 mM Fe(II) day(-1) in synthetic medium and 3.0 mM Fe(II) day(-1) in sterilized l...