Mineral biotechnology

Effect of Sodium Chloride on Pyrite Bioleaching and Initial Attachment by Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans

Biomining applies microorganisms to extract valuable metals from usually sulfidic ores. However, acidophilic iron (Fe)-oxidizing bacteria tend to be sensitive to chloride ions which may be present in biomining operations. This study investigates the bioleaching of pyrite (FeS2), as well as the attachment to FeS2 by Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans DSM 9293T in the presence of elevated sodium chloride (NaCl) concentrations. The bacteria were still able to oxidize iron in the presence of up to 0.6M NaCl (35 g/L), and the addition of NaCl in concentrations up to 0.2M (~12 g/L) did not inhibit iron oxidation and growth of S. thermosulfidooxidans in leaching cultures within the first 7 days. However, after approximately 7 days of incubation, ferrous iron (Fe2+) concentrations were gradually increased in leaching assays with NaCl, indicating that iron oxidation activity over time was reduced in those assays. Although the inhibition by 0.1M NaCl (~6 g/L) of bacterial growth and iron oxidation activity was not evident at the beginning of the experiment, over extended leaching duration NaCl was likely to have an inhibitory effect. Thus, after 36 days of the experiment, bioleaching of FeS2 with 0.1M NaCl was reduced significantly in comparison to control assays without NaCl. Pyrite dissolution decreased with the increase of NaCl. Nevertheless, pyrite bioleaching by S. thermosulfidooxidans was still possible at NaCl concentrations as high as 0.4M (~23 g/L NaCl). Besides, cell attachment in the presence of different concentrations of NaCl was investigated. Cells of S. thermosulfidooxidans attached heterogeneously on pyrite surfaces regardless of NaCl concentration. Noticeably, bacteria were able to adhere to pyrite surfaces in the presence of NaCl as high as 0.4M. Although NaCl addition inhibited iron oxidation activity and bioleaching of FeS2, the presence of 0.2M seemed to enhance bacterial attachment of S. thermosulfidooxidans on pyrite surfaces in comparison to attachment without NaCl.

Eukaryotic life in biofilms formed in a uranium mine

The underground uranium mine Königstein (Saxony, Germany), currently in the process of remediation, represents an underground acid mine drainage (AMD) environment, that is, low pH conditions and high concentrations of heavy metals including uranium, in which eye-catching biofilm formations were observed. During active uranium mining from 1984 to 1990, technical leaching with sulphuric acid was applied underground on-site resulting in a change of the underground mine environment and initiated the formation of AMD and also the growth of AMD-related copious biofilms. Biofilms grow underground in the mine galleries in a depth of 250 m (50 m above sea level) either as stalactite-like slime communities or as acid streamers in the drainage channels. The eukaryotic diversity of these biofilms was analyzed by microscopic investigations and by molecular methods, that is, 18S rDNA PCR, cloning, and sequencing. The biofilm communities of the Königstein environment showed a low eukaryotic biodiversity and consisted of a variety of groups belonging to nine major taxa: ciliates, flagellates, amoebae, heterolobosea, fungi, apicomplexa, stramenopiles, rotifers and arthropoda, and a large number of uncultured eukaryotes, denoted as acidotolerant eukaryotic cluster (AEC). In Königstein, the flagellates Bodo saltans, the stramenopiles Diplophrys archeri, and the phylum of rotifers, class Bdelloidea, were detected for the first time in an AMD environment characterized by high concentrations of uranium. This study shows that not only bacteria and archaea may live in radioactive contaminated environments, but also species of eukaryotes, clearly indicating their potential influence on carbon cycling and metal immobilization within AMD-affected environment.

The interaction ofDesulfovibrio äspöensisDSM 10631Twith plutonium

Microbes are widely distributed in nature and they can strongly influence the migration of actinides in the environment. This investigation describes the interaction of plutonium in mixed oxidation states (Pu(VI) and Pu(IV)-polymers) with cells of the sulfate-reducing bacterial (SRB) strainDesulfovibrio äspöensisDSM 10631T, which frequently occurs in the deep granitic rock aquifers at the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory (Äspö HRL), Sweden. In this study, accumulation experiments were performed in order to obtain information about the amount of Pu bound by the bacteria in dependence on the contact time and the initial plutonium concentration. We used solvent extractions, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy to determine the speciation of Pu oxidation states. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy was used to study the coordination of the Pu bound by the bacteria. In the first step, the Pu(VI) and Pu(IV)-polymers are bound to the biomass. Solvent extractions showed that 97% of the initially present Pu(VI) is reduced to Pu(V) due to the activity of the cells within the first 24 h of contact time. Most of the formed Pu(V) dissolves from the cell envelope back to the aqueous solution due to the weak complexing properties of this plutonium oxidation state. Indications were found for a penetration of Pu species inside the bacterial cells.

Time-resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy study on the interaction of curium(III) with Desulfovibrio äspöensis DSM 10631T

The influence of microorganisms on migration processes of actinides has to be taken into account for the risk assessment of potential high-level nuclear waste disposal sites. Therefore it is necessary to characterize the actinide-bacteria species formed and to elucidate the reaction mechanisms involved. This work is focused on the sulfate-reducing bacterial (SRB) strain Desulfovibrio äspöensis (D. äspöensis) DSM 10631T which frequently occurs in the deep granitic rock aquifers at the Aspö Hard Rock Laboratory (Aspö HRL), Sweden. We chose Cm(III) due to its high fluorescence spectroscopic sensitivity as a model system for exploring the interactions of trivalent actinides with D. äspöensis in the trace concentration range of 3 x 10(-7) mol/L. A time-resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS) study has been carried out in the pH range from 3.00 to 7.55 in 0.154 mol/L NaCl. We interpret the pH dependence of the emission spectra with a biosorption forming an inner-sphere surface complex of Cm(III) onto the D. äspöensis cell envelope. This Cm(III)-D. äspöensis-surface complex is characterized by its emission spectrum (peak maximum at 600.1 nm) and its fluorescence lifetime (162 +/- 5 micros). No evidence was found for incorporation of Cm(III) into the bacterial cells under the chosen experimental conditions.

The structure of the O-specific polysaccharide from Thiobacillus ferrooxidans IFO 14262

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was isolated from Thiobacillus ferrooxidans IFO 14262 by the hot phenol-water extraction procedure. The O-specific polysaccharide, liberated from LPS by mild acetic acid hydrolysis, had a branched pentasaccharide repeating-unit composed of D-glucose, L-rhamnose, D-rhamnose, and 3-O-methyl-L-rhamnose in approximate molar ratios of 2:1:1:1. On the basis of methylation analysis, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, including 2D shift-correlated (COSY) and 1D NOE spectroscopy, the structure for the repeating unit of the O-specific polysaccharide was established, and the assumed biological repeating unit indicated.

Rate of Pyrite Bioleaching by Thiobacillus ferrooxidans : Results of an Interlaboratory Comparison

Ten laboratories participated in an interlaboratory comparison of determination of bioleaching rates of a pyrite reference material. A standardized procedure and a single strain of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans were used in this study. The mean rate of bioleaching of the pyrite reference material was 12.4 mg of Fe per liter per h, with a coefficient of variation (percent relative standard deviation) of 32% as determined by eight laboratories. These results show the precision among laboratories of the determination of rates of pyrite bioleaching when a standard test procedure and reference material are used.