Sharif Digital Repository

In this study the bioleaching of a low-grade uranium ore containing 480 ppm uranium has been reported. The studies involved extraction of uranium using Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans derived from the uranium mine samples. The maximum specific growth rate (μ max) and doubling time (t d) were obtained 0.08 h-1 and 8.66 h, respectively. Parameters such as Fe2+ concentration, particle size, temperature and pH were optimized. The effect of pulp density (PD) was also studied. Maximum uranium bio-dissolution of 100 ± 5 % was achieved under the conditions of pH 2.0, 5 % PD and 35 °C in 48 h with the particles of d 80 = 100 μm. The optimum concentration of supplementary Fe2+ was dependent to the PD.... 

In this paper, a mathematical model for the mesophilic bioleaching of uraninite is developed. The case of constant temperature, pH, and initial ore concentration is considered. The model is validated by comparing the calculated and measured values of uranium extraction, ferric and ferrous iron in solution, and cell concentration. Good fits of the model were obtained, while the values of the parameters were within the range expected. New rate expressions were used for the iron precipitation and uranium leaching rates. The rates of chemical leaching and ferric precipitation are related to the ratio of ferric to ferrous in solution. The fitted parameters can be considered applicable only to... 

In this study, we have investigated the bioleaching potential of a native strain of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans isolated from zinc and lead sulfide mines under varied ambient conditions of growth and substrate consumption. The effects of intermittent irrigation, type of agglomeration, feed formulation in terms of acid, enriched salt solution, initial number of microorganism, and their interactions on the bioleaching of low-grade zinc sulfide ores (containing 5.78% zinc) on growth and biooxidation efficiency of the bacteria have been evaluated. Bioleaching capacities of the isolate were optimized by the utilization the Taguchi method (e-qualitic-4) for design of experiments. As a result,... 

In this study the ability of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxi-dans, with regard to the biorecovery of heavy metals in shake flask has been investigated. Adaptation experiments with the single metal ions Ni, Co, V, Mo, W and a mixture of the first four metal ions in the medium was developed through serial sub-culturing. Adaptation showed that A. ferrooxidans could tolerate up to 2.3 g/l Ni, 1.4 g/l Co, 1.4 g/l V, 0.045 g/l Mo and 0.005 g/l W, singly. In the presence of multi-metals considering a mixture of Ni-Co-V-Mo, the bacteria was able to tolerate up to 1.5 g/l Ni, 0.8 g/l Co, 0.8 g/l V and 0.05 g/l Mo in steps of 50-100 mg/l for Ni, Co and V, while for Mo and W with increments in concentration... 

A spent processing catalyst from an Iranian oil refinery was initially characterized physically and chemically. Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans were used to mobilize Al, Co, Mo and Ni from the spent catalysts under optimized conditions in batch cultures. The characteristics of the bioleach solution (pH, Eh, cell concentration and Fe(II)/Fe(III) concentration) were determined along with the concentration of metal values extracted from the catalyst. The results showed that after bioleaching using A. ferrooxidans in the presence of ferrous sulfate, maximum extractions of 63% Al, 96% Co, 84% Mo and 99% Ni were achieved after 30 days at pH 1.8-2.0. However, the... 

In this study, the Geocoat™ technology was used for the extraction of zinc from a mineral concentrate obtained from the Kooshk mine (Yazd, Iran) by a culture dominated by the mesophilic bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans in a packed column bioreactor. A low grade sphalerite ore was used as support for the concentrate coating. During the 100 days of leaching pH, Fe3+, Fetotal, microbial population density and zinc extraction were measured. The final zinc extraction from concentrate and low grade support was 97% and 78%, respectively, and it was found that leaching from the support does not proceed significantly before leaching from the coating is completed  

In this investigation, a spent processing catalyst from one of the oil refineries in Iran was initially characterized physically and chemically. Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans were used to mobilize aluminum, cobalt, molybdenum and nickel from hazardous spent catalysts. Bioleaching experiments were performed in batch cultures. The growth characteristics of the bacteria (pH, Eh, cell concentration and ferrous and ferric iron concentration) were determined during bioleaching along with the concentration of metal values extracted from the catalyst. The results obtained from Inductive coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) showed that after the... 

We investigated the response of a bacterial strain isolated from low grade complex zinc and lead sulfide mines to metals toxicity (i.e., zinc, manganese, nickel, cobalt, copper, arsenate, chromium, lead, and mercury). The bacterium was identified as a strain of Aciditiobacillus ferrooxidans. The isolate showed good resistance to most of the toxic metals. The proteomics approach was used to identify the differentially expressed proteins under heavy metal stress in this strain. Four of the differentially expressed proteins were identified as major outer membrane protein of A. ferrooxidans, ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase large subunit of A. ferrooxidans, putative DNA restriction methylase,... 

In this study, we have investigated the bioleaching potential of a native strain of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans isolated from zinc and lead sulfide mines under varied ambient conditions of growth and substrate consumption. In the process of standardizing growth conditions to improve iron oxidation, bioleaching of zinc and lead is also found to be enhanced. The effects of pH, temperature, initial inoculum, Fe2+ and ammonium sulphate concentration on growth and bio-oxidation efficiency of the bacteria have been evaluated. The results indicate that the optimum pH required for the growth of the bacterium is 1.8; however, the same for maximum efficiency is 1.5. It is also found that pH has a... 

The use of a draft tube fluidized bed bioreactor (DTFBB) has been successfully demonstrated for the bioleaching of a chalcopyrite concentrate (Mousavi, et. al., 2005). In the present paper this technique was used for the bioleaching of zinc from a sphalerite bearing low-grade ore. A strain of the thermophilic bacterium, Sulfobacillus, has been isolated from the Kooshk lead and zinc mine near the city of Yazd (Iran) and is tested at temperatures 47 °C-72 °C. This is compared to leaching with a strain of the mesophile Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, which has been adapted to the high levels of zinc and the presence of the low-grade ore, and which was tested at temperatures 18 °C-42 °C. The... 

Background: The bio-oxidation of ferrous iron is a potential industrial process in the regeneration of ferric iron and the removal of H2S in combustible gases. Bio-oxidation of ferrous iron may be an alternative method of producing ferric sulfate, which is a reagent used for removal of H2S from biogas, tail gas and in the pulp and paper industry. For practical use of this process, this study evaluated the optimal pH and initial ferric concentration. pH control looks like a key factor as it acts both on growth rate and on solubility ofmaterials in the system. Results: Process variables such as pH and amount of initial ferrous ions on oxidation by A. ferrooxidans and the effects of process... 

E-waste has become one of the greatest sources of environmental pollution. Bioleaching is known as a new, simple, and environmentally friendly technology for metal recovery requiring low energy input, unskilled labor operations, moderate conditions, and low costs. Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is a famous and puissant mesophilic bacterium applied extensively to recover metals from ores and different industrial and municipal wastes. It is necessary to identify the parameters affecting consumers E-waste recycling. Separating and recovering different types of E-waste is impossible for small recycling units. There should be a specific combination of E-waste, enabling the extraction of the... 

Polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, and polypropylene are the main polymers in E-waste, existing about 31%, 16%, and 13%, respectively. In this research, the effects of the elimination of low-density materials (such as polymers and plastics) were studied using the shaking table method. Bioleaching of Cu and Ni against the original sample (Sample #1) and pre-treated sample without low-density materials (Sample #2) was compared. The amount of bioleached metals and growth characteristics (including pH, Eh, bacterial count) was investigated within 25 days. The analysis of Sample #1 showed that at pulp density of 15 g/l, 94% and 79% of Cu and Ni were recovered maximally, respectively,... 

The oxidation of ferrous iron (Fe2+) in solution using Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans has industrial applications exclusively in the regeneration of ferric iron (Fe3+) as an oxidizing agent for the removal of hydrogen sulfide from waste gases, desulfurization of coal, leaching of non-ferrous metallic sulfides and treatment of acid mine drainage. The aim of this investigation was to increase the bio-oxidation rate of ferrous sulfate by using immobilized cells. Rate of Fe2+ oxidation was determined in a packed-bed bioreactor configuration with monolithic particles being used as support material. Biooxidation of ferrous iron by immobilized cells was investigated in repeated batch culture and... 

In this study the effects of initial concentration of Fe(II) and Fe(III) ions as well as initial pH on the bioleaching of a low-grade sphalerite ore in a leaching column over a period of 120 days with and without bacteria were investigated. Four different modifications of medium were used as column feed solutions to investigate the effects of initial concentration of Fe(II) and Fe(III) ions on zinc extraction. The experiments were carried out using a bench-scale, column leaching reactor, which was inoculated with mesophilic iron oxidizing bacteria, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, initially isolated from the Sarcheshmeh chalcopyrite concentrate (Kerman, Iran). The effluent solutions were... 

A mesophilic iron oxidizing bacterium, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, has been isolated (33°C) from a typical chalcopyrite copper concentrate of the Sarcheshmeh Copper Mine in the region of Kerman located in the south of Iran. In addition, a thermophilic iron oxidizing bacterium, Sulfobacillus spp., has been isolated (60°C) from the Kooshk Lead and Zinc Mine near the city of Yazd in the mid-west region of Iran. The variation of pH, ferrous and ferric concentration and cell growth on the time and effects of some factors, such as temperature and initial ferrous concentration, on the bioleaching of chalcopyrite concentrate obtained from Sarcheshmeh Copper Mine, were investigated. Bioleaching... 

In this study low-grade sphalerite has been treated by the bioleaching process using native cultures of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Sulfobacillus thermosulfido-oxidans in order to determine the ability of these bacteria to the leaching of zinc. The effects of bacterial strain, pH, temperature, pulp density, iron precipitation, and initial concentration of ferric iron on the zinc leaching were evaluated. The bioleaching experiments were carried out in shake flasks at pH 1.5, 180 rpm, 33 °C and 60 °C for mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria, respectively. Compared with the use of laboratory reference strains or control conditions, zinc recovery from the respective concentrate was... 

Biological oxidation of ferrous sulfate by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans has proved to be a significant step in the bioleaching of sulfide minerals and the treatment of acid mine drainage. The same bioreaction also has beneficial applications in the desulphurization of coal and removal of hydrogen sulfide from gaseous effluents. In this research, the effects of some process variables such as pH, temperature, elemental sulfur, amount of initial ferrous and magnesium ions on oxidation of ferrous sulfate by a native A. ferrooxidans, which was isolated from a chalcopyrite concentrate, were investigated. All experiments carried out in shake flasks at 33 °C that was obtained as optimum... 

In this study, effects of solid concentration, temperature, and initial Fe2+ concentration on bioleaching of sulfide mineral (chalcopyrite) obtained from Sarcheshmeh Copper Mine in the region of Kerman located in the south of Iran were investigated. A mesophilic iron oxidizing bacterium, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans has been isolated from a typical chalcopyrite copper concentrate of the mentioned mine. Bioleaching experiments were carried out in two batch air-lift bioreactors with recycling stream. One reactor contained 2 liters of medium and 10% (v/v) inoculum while in the other reactor, control bioleaching tests were carried out with sterilized concentrate without inoculum by the... 

The high amount of base metals poses an important challenge in gold bioleaching from spent printed circuit boards (PCBs). This study aims to investigate the bioleaching of important base metals (Cu, Ni, and Fe) from a mixture of spent PCBs (E-waste) using adapted Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans in the bubble column bioreactors. Firstly, the adaptation process is done from 1 to 15 g/L in Erlenmeyer flasks in 187 days, then the concentration of E-waste increased to 40 g/L in bubble column bioreactors in 44 days. The concurrent recovery of copper, nickel, and iron using adapted bacterium in a bioreactor was optimized by central composite design. Various effective parameters such as aeration...