Minerals 2016, 6(3), 76; doi:10.3390/min6030076
Influence of Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans on Initial Attachment and Pyrite Leaching by Thermoacidophilic Archaeon Acidianus sp. DSM 29099
Biofilm Centre, Aquatische Biotechnologie, Universität Duisburg—Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
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Academic Editor: W. Scott Dunbar
Received: 29 April 2016 / Revised: 6 July 2016 / Accepted: 13 July 2016 / Published: 21 July 2016
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biotechnologies and Mining)
Abstract
At the industrial scale, bioleaching of metal sulfides includes two main technologies, tank leaching and heap leaching. Fluctuations in temperature caused by the exothermic reactions in a heap have a pronounced effect on the growth of microbes and composition of mixed microbial populations. Currently, little is known on the influence of pre-colonized mesophiles or moderate thermophiles on the attachment and bioleaching efficiency by thermophiles. The objective of this study was to investigate the interspecies interactions of the moderate thermophile Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans DSM 9293T and the thermophile Acidianus sp. DSM 29099 during initial attachment to and dissolution of pyrite. Our results showed that: (1) Acidianus sp. DSM 29099 interacted with S. thermosulfidooxidansT during initial attachment in mixed cultures. In particular, cell attachment was improved in mixed cultures compared to pure cultures alone; however, no improvement of pyrite leaching in mixed cultures compared with pure cultures was observed; (2) active or inactivated cells of S. thermosulfidooxidansT on pyrite inhibited or showed no influence on the initial attachment of Acidianus sp. DSM 29099, respectively, but both promoted its leaching efficiency; (3) S. thermosulfidooxidansT exudates did not enhance the initial attachment of Acidianus sp. DSM 29099 to pyrite, but greatly facilitated its pyrite dissolution efficiency. Our study provides insights into cell-cell interactions between moderate thermophiles and thermophiles and is helpful for understanding of the microbial interactions in a heap leaching environment. View Full-TextKeywords:
bioleaching; initial attachment; biofilm formation; Sulfobacillus; Acidianus; interspecies interactions
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Liu, J.; Li, Q.; Sand, W.; Zhang, R. Influence of Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans on Initial Attachment and Pyrite Leaching by Thermoacidophilic Archaeon Acidianus sp. DSM 29099. Minerals 2016, 6, 76.
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