title: Bioleaching of chalcopyrite by defined mixed moderately thermophilic consortium including a marine acidophilic halotolerant bacterium.
abstract: A defined mixed moderately thermophilic consortium including three terrestrial microorganisms (Leptospirillum ferriphilum, Acidithiobacillus caldus and Ferroplasma thermophilum) and a marine acidophilic halotolerant bacterium (Sulfobacillus sp. TPY) was constructed to evaluate its ability for bioleaching of chalcopyrite with the addition of sodium chloride (NaCl), and the community dynamics was monitored by real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). It was found that Sulfobacillus sp. TPY was able to tolerate 2% (w/v) NaCl, while other three microorganisms were suppressed when the concentration of NaCl was higher than 0.35%. The results suggested that NaCl below certain concentration could improve copper extraction by using pure cultures or the consortium to bioleach chalcopyrite. Community dynamics analysis during bioleaching at 0.1% NaCl showed that Sulfobacillus sp. TPY was predominant species during the whole bioleaching process, L. ferriphilum and A. caldus were less at any time compared with Sulfobacillus sp. TPY. F. thermophilum had never been dominant species even in the final stage.
authors.affiliation: School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, China.
authors.forename: Yuguang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Lijuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Weimin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Junzi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Lili
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Guanzhou
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Xinhua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hongbo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D019149:Bioreactors; D002498:Centrifugation; D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D060086:Hydrothermal Vents / Q000382:microbiology*; D007218:Industrial Microbiology / Q000379:methods*; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D054712:Salinity; D013045:Species Specificity; D013455:Sulfur / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; C012819:chalcopyrite; D013455:Sulfur; D003300:Copper; D007501:Iron