Pyrite Biooxidation by Acidophilic Archaea AcidiplasmaSp. MBA-1 Under Varied Conditions

The goal of this research was to study pyrite (FeS2 ) bioleaching by a strain of the genus Acidiplasma under different conditions (temperature, pH) to evaluate the potential role of Acidiplasma representatives in biooxidation of this sulfide mineral. To compare the role of Acidiplasma archaea in pyrite biooxidation with other acidophilic microorganisms, the experiments were also performed with representatives of othergroups of microorganisms predominant in biohydrometallurgical processes.Pure and mixed cultures of moderately thermophilic acidophilic microorganisms, including strains Acidithiobacillus caldus MBC-1, Sulfobacillusthermosulfidooxidans VKMV 1269T and Acidiplasmasp. MBA-1, were used. The experiments were carried out in flasks with 100 mL of mineral nutrient medium supplemented with 0.02% yeast extract and 1 g of pyrite on a rotary shaker for 20 days. Bioleaching was performed at 45, 55, and 60∘С. The results demonstrated that the representatives of the genus Acidiplasmaprovided a comparatively higher rate of pyrite bioleaching at high temperatures (55 and 60∘C) and low pH of the medium (1.0). Thus, according to the results, strains of thegenus Acidiplasma may provide a high rate of pyrite bioleaching at low levels ofpH. Therefore, the results suggest that archaea of the genus Acidiplasma may be promising microorganisms to improve bioleaching processes with an increase in the operational temperature, which is usually maintained at 40–45∘C in industrial-scale reactors. Keywords: biomining, bioleaching, acidophilic microorganisms, sulfide minerals, pyrite

Effect of Temperature on Biobeneficiation of Bulk Copper-Nickel Concentrate with Thermoacidophilic Microbial Communities

Bioleaching of the bulk copper–nickel sulfide concentrate was proposed as a method to remove nickel from it and to obtain a concentrate containing copper as chalcopyrite. This approach is based on the different refractoriness of sulfide minerals in ferric sulfate solutions and oxidation by acidophilic microorganisms. The bulk concentrate contained 10.8% copper in the form of chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) and 7.2% nickel that occurred in pentlandite ((Ni,Fe)9S8) and violarite (FeNi2S4). Three microbial communities grown at 35, 40, and 50 °C were used for bioleaching. The microbial community at 40 °C was the most diverse in the genus and species composition. At all temperatures of the process, the key roles in bioleaching belonged to mixotrophic and heterotrophic acidophiles. The highest levels of nickel leaching of 97.2 and 96.3% were observed in the case of communities growing at 40 and 50 °C, respectively. At the same time, the bioleach residue, which could be characterized as a marketable high-grade copper (chalcopyrite) concentrate, was obtained only at 40 °C. This solid contained 15.6% copper and 0.54% nickel. Thus, the biobeneficiation of bulk sulfide concentrates can be a promising field of biohydrometallurgy.

Processing of Sulfide Copper-Nickel Ores from the Deposits in Murmansk Region by Heap Leaching

The feasibility of processing low-grade copper-nickel ores by heap bioleaching was investigated. It was found that an iron-oxidizing strain of acidophilic microorganisms, Acidithiobacillus ferrivorans, is effective in the leaching of sulfide ores from the deposits in Russia’s Murmansk region. Sulfide mineralization of the studied mineral feeds was described using the methods of X-ray phase analysis and optical microscopy. In the process of leaching, the pH and Eh values and the concentrations of ferric and ferrous iron, nickel, and copper ions were monitored. By the end of the experiment, 16.5% of nickel and 7.5% of copper was recovered from the ore of the Allarechensk technogenic deposit, while 22.5% of nickel and 12.7% copper were recovered from the ore of the Nud II deposit. By silicate analysis of the solid phase, patterns of ore chemistry change were described during the process of bioleaching.