Bioleaching of chalcocite by mixed microorganisms subjected to mutation

Mixed microorganisms with elevated activity of chalcocite-leaching were screened by mutation methods.The original microorganisms collected from acid mine drainage of different sites were mixed and then treated with mutagens NO2 -,diethyl sulfate (DES),UV and their combinations,respectively.Five groups of mixed microorganisms with much stronger ore-leaching ability were obtained by screening on the leaching media.Among them,group E of mixed microorganisms(treated with 1%DES for 60 min) with the best performance on chalcocite-leaching,increases the content of Cu2 +by 101.4%in 20 d of leaching compared with the control culture.In addition,group E is more tolerant to Cu2 +in media than the control without mutation treatment.Analysis for the diversity of microbial clones indicates that half of operational taxonomic units(OTUs)in group E are Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. These observations suggest that group E might have potentials for industrial application.

Mixed microorganisms with elevated activity of chalcocite-leaching were screened by mutation methods. The original microorganisms collected from acid mine drainage of different sites were mixed and then treated with mutagens NO2^- , diethyl sulfate （DES）, UV and their combinations, respectively. Five groups of mixed microorganisms with much stronger ore-leaching ability were obtained by screening on the leaching media. Among them, group E of mixed microorganisms （treated with 1% DES for 60 min） with the best perfonnance on chalcocite-leaching, increases the content of Cu^2＋ by 101.4% in 20 d of leaching compared with the control culture. In addition, group E is more tolerant to Cu^2＋ in media than the control without mutation treatment. Analysis for the diversity of microbial clones indicates that half of operational taxonomic units （OTUs） in group E are Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. These observations suggest that group E might have potentials for industrial application.