AI Article Synopsis
- Acidiphilic, chemolithotrophic microbes are used to recover metals from copper, uranium, and gold minerals by oxidizing insoluble metal sulfides into soluble metal sulfates.
- Ferric iron chemically attacks minerals, while microorganisms help regenerate ferric iron from ferrous iron during the oxidation process.
- Current bioprocesses operate at temperatures up to 50 degrees C, but the discovery of thermophilic microbes could allow processing at 80 degrees C or higher, broadening the types of minerals that can be efficiently extracted.
Article Abstract
The use of acidiphilic, chemolithotrophic iron- and sulfur-oxidizing microbes in processes to recover metals from certain types of copper, uranium, and gold-bearing minerals or mineral concentrates is now well established. During these processes insoluble metal sulfides are oxidized to soluble metal sulfates. Mineral decomposition is believed to be mostly due to chemical attack by ferric iron, with the main role of the microorganisms being to reoxidize the resultant ferrous iron back to ferric iron. Currently operating industrial biomining processes have used bacteria that grow optimally from ambient to 50 degrees C, but thermophilic microbes have been isolated that have the potential to enable mineral biooxidation to be carried out at temperatures of 80 degrees C or higher. The development of higher-temperature processes will extend the variety of minerals that can be commercially processed.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.micro.56.012302.161052 | DOI Listing |
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