Reductive dissolution of jarosite by inorganic sulfur compounds catalyzed by Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans

Hong-Rui Chen, Duo-Rui Zhang, Zhen-Yuan Nie, Jin-Lan Xia, Qian Li, Rui-Yong Zhang, He-Hao Yin, Eva Pakostova

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    Abstract

    The adsorption of jarosite and the resulting passivation of mineral surfaces can negatively influence metal extraction from sulfidic ores as well as the fate of other elements in biohydrometallurgical processes. Some bioleaching microorganisms mediate dissimilatory iron reduction coupled to sulfur oxidation (DIRSO), a process utilized predominantly in continuously enhanced leaching of metals from sulfide and/or oxidized ores. In this study, the reductive dissolution of jarosite (biosynthesized by the iron-oxidizing archaeon Acidianus manzaensis) catalyzed by the mesophilic acidophilic bacterium Acidithiobacillus (At.) thiooxidans oxidizing different inorganic sulfur compounds was investigated. Kinetic measurements of pH, ORP, iron concentrations, and planktonic cell counts were performed to describe the reductive dissolution of jarosite. Moreover, the solid leaching residues were analyzed using X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), Inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy. The dissolution rates of jarosite after 34 days of bioleaching by At. thiooxidans with S0, Na2S2O3, and Na2SO3 were 41.7, 76.3, and 98.4%, respectively, while negligible jarosite dissolution was detected in abiotic controls. The presence of Na2S2O3 and Na2SO3 resulted in structural modifications on the jarosite surfaces, but the dissolution of jarosite was not promoted in the absence of At. thiooxidans. In the biotic assays with Na2SO3, jarosite was completely dissolved, indicating that Na2SO3 was the most suitable electron donor (out of those tested) for DIRSO by At. thiooxidans. The findings obtained in this study can contribute to designing suitable bioleaching strategies for oxidized ores. They also highlight the potential of microbially catalyzed DIRSO to mitigate jarosite formation that often hinders bioleaching of sulfidic ores.
    Original languageEnglish
    Article number105908
    Number of pages10
    JournalHydrometallurgy
    Volume212
    Early online date28 May 2022
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jun 2022

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    Funder

    This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51861135305, 42076044), the financial support from the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFE0110200), and the Open Funds of Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility (2020-BEPC-PT-003789, 2020-BEPC-ZD-000184).

    Keywords

    • Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans
    • jarosite
    • iron reduction
    • sulfur oxidation
    • bioleaching

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