Bioleaching for the Removal of Arsenic from Mine Tailings by Psychrotolerant and<i> </i>Mesophilic<i> </i>Microbes<i> </i>at Markedly Continental Climate Temperatures

• Main Authors: Kuanysh N. Seitkamal, Nariman K. Zhappar, Valentin M. Shaikhutdinov, Aigerim K. Shibaуeva, Sadia Ilyas, Ilya V. Korolkov, Hyunjung Kim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
• Series: Minerals
• Subjects: Acidithiobacillus ferrivorans; Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans; arsenic removal; bioleaching; mine tailings
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/10/11/972

This study investigated the biological removal of heavy metals from mine tailings in Kazakhstan using acidophilic microorganism strains <i>Acidithiobacillus</i><i> </i><i>ferrivorans</i><i> </i>535 and <i>Acidithiobacillus</i><i> </i><i>ferrooxida</i><i>ns</i> 377. The experiments were conducted in shake flasks at pH 1.6, various temperatures (28 °C, 18 °C, and 8 °C), and 10% solid concentration (w/v). The results of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses showed that arsenic was particularly efficiently removed at 28 °C. At this temperature, <i>A. </i><i>ferrooxidans</i><i> </i>377 was more efficient at removal than the other strain. Meanwhile, <i>A.</i> f<i>errivorans</i> 535 was more efficient than <i>A. </i><i>ferrooxidans</i> 377 at 8 °C. One of the more significant findings to emerge from this study is that arsenic can be removed at a low temperature and high solid concentration. The results of this study support the idea that microorganisms can be used for removing arsenic via a combination of biooxidation and chemical methods.