title: Bioleaching of realgar by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans using ferrous iron and elemental sulfur as the sole and mixed energy sources.
abstract: The characteristics of the bioleaching of realgar by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans BY-3 (A. ferrooxidans) were investigated in this work. We examined the effects of using ferrous iron and elemental sulfur as the sole and mixed energy sources on the bioleaching of realgar. Under all experimental conditions, A. ferrooxidans BY-3 significantly enhanced the dissolution of realgar. Moreover, arsenic was more efficiently leached using A. ferrooxidans BY-3 in the presence of ferrous iron than in other culture conditions. A high concentration of arsenic was observed in the absence of alternative energy sources. This concentration was higher than that in cultures with sulfur only and lower than that in cultures with ferrous iron and sulfur. Linear or nonlinear models best fit the experimental data; the nonlinear model exhibited the dual effects of dissolution and removal on the bioleaching of realgar, whereas the linear model only applied to situations of slow bioleaching rather than removal.
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Arid and Grassland Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, PR China. RedGeneSCI@gmail.com
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Feifan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Leng
authors.forename: Wenbing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Nan
authors.forename: Xiaoxuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.forename: Yani
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Hongyu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D013856:Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans / Q000378:metabolism*; D001151:Arsenic / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism*; D001152:Arsenicals / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D013440:Sulfides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D013455:Sulfur / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001152:Arsenicals; D013440:Sulfides; C058317:arsenic disulfide; D013455:Sulfur; D007501:Iron; D001151:Arsenic