Pyrite Surface after Thiobacillus ferrooxidans Leaching at 30℃

In order to investigate the effect of Thiobacillusferrooxidans on the oxidation of pyrite, two parallel experiments, which employed H2SO4 solutions and acidic solutions inoculated with ThiobaciUus ferrooxidans, were designed and carried out at 30℃. The initial pH of the two solutions was adjusted to 2.5 by dropwise addition of concentrated sulphuric acid. The surfaces of pyrite before exposure to leaching solutions and after exposure to the H2SO4 solutions and acidic solutions inoculated with Thiobacillus ferrooxidans were observed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. There were a variety of erosion patterns by Thiobacillusferrooxidans on the bio-leached pyrite surfaces. A conclusion can be drawn that the oxidation of pyrite might have been caused by erosion of the surfaces. Attachment of the bacteria to pyrite surfaces resulted in erosion pits, leading to the oxidation of pyrite. It is possible that the direct mechanism plays the most important role in the oxidation of pyrite. The changes in iron ion concentrations of both the experimental solutions with time suggest that ThiobaciUus ferrooxidans can enhance greatly the oxidation of pyrite.

Growth kinetics of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans in bioelectrochemical cell

Thiobacillus ferrooxidans might be the most important bacteria used in biometallurgy. The foundation way of its growth process is oxidizing ferrous in order to obtain energy needed for metabolism, but the variation of ferrous concentration and mixed potential of the culture media would have crucial effect on the bacteria growth. Based on the characteristics of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans growth and redox potential of ferric and ferrous, an electrochemical cell was designed conventionally to study growth rule and the relationship between redox potential and bacteria growth was built up, and some growth kinetics of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans were elucidated. It demonstrates that the variation of open potential of electrochemical cell Δ E shows the growth tendency of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans , at the initial growth stage, the value of Δ E increases slowly, when at logistic growth stage, it increases drastically, and the growth rate of bacteria is linear with the oxidation rate of ferrous. The bacteria growth kinetics model is proposed using Monod and Michealis-Menten equation, and the kinetics parameters are got. The consistence of the measured and the calculated results proves that it is proper to use the proposed kinetics model and the electrochemical cell method to describe the growth rule of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans .

Study on bioleaching of refractory gold ore (Ⅰ)──Mechanism on bioleaching of pyrite by Thiobacillus ferrooxidans

The variation of main parameters including ion concentration, pH value, potential and biomass was examined in bioleaching pyrite. The pH value of the solution decreased obviously. Most of T.ferrooxidans adhered to the surface of pyrite. The surface properties of pyrite and leached products were determined by SEM, EDS and XRD. Pyrite was corroded selectively by T.ferrooxidans and sulfur in pyrite was leached preferentially. The primary product for bioleaching pyrite was jarosite. Based on these results, it can be found that pyrite is oxidized mainly through the direct role of T.ferrooxidans . A band model for bioleaching pyrite was built, by which the bioleaching process was explained theoretically. The model shows that the holes, which are injected into the valence band of pyrite through adhered T.ferrooxidans , result from dissolved oxygen in the solution.

THE DEPRESSION OF PYRITE FLOTATION BY THIOBACILLUS FERROOXIDANS

The experimental studies on the microbial flotation of a pure pyrite sample using Thiobacillus ferooxidans was conducted in the laboratory. The results indicate that Thiobacillus ferrooxidans has strong depression effect on the flotation of pyrite. Thiobacillus ferrooxidans can adsorb on the surface of pyrite in a very short time (a few min.), changing the surface from hydrophobic into hydrophilic and making the pyrite particles to lose their floatability. Therefore, Thiobacillus ferrooxidans is an effective microbial depressant of pyrite. It has also been pointed out that the depression of pyrite by Thiobacillus ferrooxidans is caused by the adsorption of the microbial colloids, but not by the oxidation effect.

Corrosion Behaviors of Steel A3 Exposed to Thiobacillus Ferrooxidans

The corrosion behaviors of steel A3 in synergistic action of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans （T.f） and electrochemically accelerated corrosion were studied by electrochemical, microbiology and surface analysis methods. The open circuit potential （Eocp） and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS） of the steel A3 electrodes were measured in leathen culture medium without and with T.f （simply called T.f solution in the following paper） in immersion electrode way at the time of the 2nd, 5th, 10th, 20th and 30th days, respectively. It was found that Eocp of the electrode for immersion in leathen culture medium shifted negatively with the immersion time while that for immersion in T.f solutions shifted negatively, then positively and finally negatively. On the 20th day, the corrosion of steel A3 for immersion in culture medium was in pitting initiation stage while that for immersion in T.f solutions was in pitting growth stage. It was found that the corrosion of steel A3 was accelerated by T.f. The morphology of corrosion product of steel A3 immersion in T.f solutions observed through scanning electron microscopy （SEM） transformed from solid globules to tabular plates and to spongy globules and plates.

New Method of Manufacturing Micro Parts Using Thiobacillus Ferrooxidans

A new method of processing and manufacturing certain parts of instruments through biological approach is studied. Knowledge of feasibility of micro-manufacturing is obtained by comparing experimental results of etching surfaces of copper, aluminium alloy, brass, steel and stainless steel using strain of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans （ T. f. ）. Our experimental results show that certain metals can be etched using T. f., the most feasible material is copper, followed by brass, etc., with stainless steel the least. The surface of the stainless steel material is nearly unchanged during surface-etching. Micro parts made of copper or brass can be satisfactorily processed with T.f. and the rate of processing on copper is about 14 μm/h. Furthermore, surface roughness and processing speed are controlled by pH value and temperature of etching liquid, in addition to swing rate of the the swing bed.

Adsorption characteristics of thiobacillus ferrooxidans on surface of sulfide minerals

By using thiobacillus ferrooxidans (T.f) from Qixiashan, Hubei Province, China, the adsorption characteristics of T.f on surface of sulfide mineral were studied. The influences of adsorption time, pH value, temperature, initial inoculated concentration of bacteria, concentration of sulfide mineral powder, and variety of minerals on the adsorption characteristics were firstly investigated by using the ninhydrin colorimetric method, and the changes of contact angles and Zeta potentials of mineral surface during the bacterial adsorption were then determined. The results show that when the leaching experiments are performed for a long time from several days to a month, the maximal quantity of adsorption of T.f on the surface of pyrite is obtained under the following conditions: leaching for 20 d, pH value in range of 12 and temperature at 30 ℃, respectively; when the bio-leaching experiments are performed for a shorter leaching time, the maximal quantity of adsorption is obtained under the conditions: bio-leaching for 2 h, at 2.4×107 cell/mLof initial inoculated bacteria concentration, and at 10% of mineral powder concentration; and the adsorption quantities are different form one sulfide mineral to another, and the adsorption of T.f on the surface of sulfide minerals includes three phases: increasing phase, stationary phase and decreasing phase.

Bioflotation of pyrite with Thiobacillus ferrooxidans

Bioflotation of pyrite with bacteria Thiobacillus ferrooxidans in thepresence or absence of potassium ethyl xanthate was studied on a pure pyrite through microflotationand electrophoretic light scattering measurements. The experimental results showed that in theabsence of xanthate, pyrite flotation is slightly enhanced by Thiobacillus ferrooxidans. However,with xanthate as a collector, pyrite flotation is strongly depressed after being exposed to thebacteria. The longer is the time when the pyrite is exposed to the bacteria, the stronger thedepression is. The mechanism of the depression might be due to the formation of the biofilms ofThiobacillus ferrooxidans on pyrite surfaces, preventing the adsorption of xanthate on pyritesurfaces in the form of dixanthogen or xanthate ions.

Comparison of the capacity of biological desulfurization of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans from different sulfur-containing substrates with or without additional ferrous iron

Thiobacillus ferrooxidans,abbreviated as T.ferrooxidans is one of the important microorganisms in the field of biological desulfurization.Effects of ferrous iron and sulfur-containing substrates on biological desulfurization of T.ferrooxidans were studied.Results show that in the absence of Fe^(2+),T.ferrooxidans can utilize three kinds of sulfur-containing substrates of Na_(2)S_(2)O_(3),elemental S and Na_(2)SO_(3) for growth and metabolism.For utilization complexity,Na_(2)S_(2)O_(3) was easiest to use,next was elemental S,and Na_(2)SO_(3) was the worst for use.During the utilization of ferrous iron and sulfur-containing substrates by T.ferrooxidans,the iron oxidation system was first started.With the decrease of the Fe^(2+)concentration,the sulfur oxidation system was started,and then the two systems synergistically acted.The presence of three sulfur-containing substrates had different effects on Fe^(2+)oxidation,and elemental S did not inhibit the oxidation of Fe^(2+),while Na_(2)S_(2)O_(3) and Na_(2)SO_(3) had some inhibition on the oxidation of Fe^(2+),especially the inhibition of Na_(2)SO_(3) was significant,and complete oxidation of ferrous iron needed more time.The isolated T.ferrooxidans is applied to the removal of H2S gas,aiming to provide a new technological approach for biological removal of H2S.

Efficacy of chalcopyrite bioleaching using a pure and a mixed bacterium

To determine the efficacy of chalcopyrite bioleaching using pure cultures of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans or Thiobacillus thiooxidans and a mixed culture composed of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans and Thiobacillus thiooxidans, experiments were carried out in shake flasks with [Fe^2＋] 4 g·L^-1 and S 1 g·L^-1 at pH=1.80, 130 r/min and 30℃. The tests showed that the copper extraction in a mixed culture composed of Thiobacillusferrooxidans and Thiobacillus thiooxidans is higher than that in a pure culture. On the other hand, an important potential of Thiobacillus thiooxidans to leaching chalcopyrite was indicated. Thiobacillus thiooxidans can prevent jarosites accumulating on the substrate and allow further copper to dissolute through the action of ferric ion. The selection of the suitable pH in a leaching solution would be significant. Thiobacillus thiooxidans and Thiobacillus ferrooxidans play an important role in the bioleaching process. Finally, the mechanism and the reason for iron precipitation were also discussed in detail.

Effect of technological factors on bacterial leaching of low-grade Ni-Cu sulfide ore

The bioleaching of a low grade Ni Cu sulfide ore from Jinchuan Mine with Thiobacillus ferrooxidans (TF5) and Thiobacillus thiooxidans (TT) was investigated. The effect of pH, the initial cell numbers of bacteria, the pulp density and the ratio of TF5 and TT on leaching was described, and the favorable bioleaching conditions for the ore were experimentally confirmed. The aeration leaching, agitation leaching with air bubbling, and column leaching were respectively tested. The highest recovery was achieved in the aeration leaching. After leaching for 20?d with pulp density of 15%, the extractions of Ni, Cu and Co were respectively 95.4%, 48.6% and 82.6%.

Interfacial interaction of bio-leaching of pyrite mineral

Electrokinetic and contact angle measurements were used to discuss the interfacial interaction on bio-leaching of pyrite mineral. Surface energy parameters of pyrite mineral and thiobacillus ferrooxidans were obtained by calculating according to formula of Young＇s equation and contact angle measurements. The results show that surface energy of thiobacillus ferrooxidans is much higher than that of pyrite mineral, and the reaction of pyrite mineral with thiobacillus ferrooxidans causes the reduction of the pyrite surface energy. The interfacial interaction energies between pyrite mineral and thiobaciUus ferrooxidans were also obtained based on polar interfacial interaction theory and electrokinetic and contact angle measurements. The thermodynamics approach only considering Lifshitz-van der Waals and Lewis acid-base interaction fails to explain the adhesion behavior of the bacteria, but the extended Derjaguin-Landan-Verwey-Overbeek theory concerning Lifshitz-van der Waals and Lewis acid-base and the electrostatic can exactly predict interfacial interaction.

Microorganisms desulfurization of coal

A culture of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans strain T-4, isolated from Song Zao Coal Mining, China, is able to use pyrite from coal as a source of energy. The bacterial culture solution with 108 -109 cells/ml, pH 1.55 - 1.70 was employed in the nine coal samples with -200 mesh have been studied at initial pH 1.7.30℃ , 20-30% coal pulp density. The bacterial removal sulfur from coal in samples 3, 4, 6 and 7 were reduced to 1.05 - 1.33% and 86.11% of pyritic sulfur can be removed in 4-24 hours.

APPLICATION OF MICROBIAL OXIDATION OF PYRITE

Thiobacillus ferrooxidans can be self-cul- tured in the acidicmine water after nourishing treatment. The mine water containingThiobacillus ferrooxidans has Been used in the heap leaching ofpyritic-coal-bearing Kaolin ore. The kaolin ore has been purifiedthrough the ox- Idation leaching of pyrite to remove the sulfur andiron im- Purities.