MECHANISMS OF MICROBIAL BIOLEACHING

HIKMAL FIZAR BIN JAMALUDIN LEE YEMIN NUR AMIRA BINTI BADULHISHAM

SEQ110003 SEQ110004 SEQ110011

NORFAIZ BIN MOHD NOR

NURUL ATHIRAH BINTI IBRAHIM MIRA ERVINA ANAK CHENDANG

SET090011
SES100273 SES100266

INTRODUCTION
Bioleaching??

A mineral process that utilize microorganisms to leach sulphide or ferrous minerals whereby valuable metals such as copper, uranium and zinc are released in solution. - At the present time, bioleaching processes are based more or less exclusively on the activity of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans Leptospirillum ferrooxidans T. thiooxidans that covert heavily soluble metal sulfides via biochemical oxidation into water soluble metal sulfates.
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MECHANISMS OF BIOLEACHING
Mineralytic effects of bacteria and fungi on minerals are based mainly on three principles: namely acidolysis, complexolysis and redoxolysis. Microorganisms are able to mobilize metals by: the formation of organic or inorganic acids (protons) Oxidation and reduction reactions The excretion of complexing agents Sulfuric acid is the main inorganic acid found in leaching environments. There are two major mechanisms of microbial bioleaching Direct contact mechanism Indirect contact mechanism

DIRECT CONTACT BACTERIAL LEACHING

There is physical contact between bacterial cell and mineral sulfide surface
4FeS2+ 14O2 + 4H2O ---------> 4H2SO4 4FeSO4 +

4FeSO4 + O2 + 2H2SO4 -------------> 2Fe2(SO4)3

Can be summarized as follow

4FeS2+ 15O2 + 2H2O ---------> 2Fe2(SO4)3 + 2H2SO4

T. ferrooxidans can oxidize the following non-metal sulfides - covellite (CuS) - chalcocite (Cu2S) - sphalerite (ZnS) using this mechanism. Bacteria do not attach to whole surface but to specific sites of crystal imperfection, and metal solubilization is due to electrochemical interaction.

INDIRECT BACTERIAL LEACHING

The oxidation of reduced metals through the indirect mechanism is mediated by ferric ion (Fe3+) originating from the microbial oxidation of ferrous iron (Fe2+) compounds present in the minerals.
MeS + Fe2(SO4)3 --------> MeSO4 + 2FeSO4 +S

To keep enough iron in the solution, the metal oxidization must occur in acidic condition pH 5.o below.

Oxidized by T. ferrooxidans and L. ferrooxidans

Do not require direct contact with mineral surface

Example - extraction of uranium from ores

CONCLUSION
Both mechanisms used oxidative reaction The two mechanisms are based on mineral structure of metal sulfide In many cases , direct mechanism dominates the indirect mechanism.

REFERENCE
Debaraj

Mishra, D.-J. K., Jong-Gwan Ahn, and Young-Ha Rhee. (2005). Bioleaching: A Microbial Process of Metal Recovery; A Review. Metals and Materials International, 11(3), pp. 249~256
Ghosh,

A. (2011). Bioleaching - Application of Biotechnology in Mining Industry. Available from Biotech Articles Retrieved 27 April 2013
http://www.biotecharticles.com/Applications-Article/Bioleaching-

Application-of-Biotechnology-in-Mining-Industry-850.html
Hamidian,

H. (Ed.). (2011). Microbial Leaching of Uranium Ore. Rijeka, Croatia InTech.

W.

Sand , T. G., P.-G. Jozsa , A. Schippers (1999). Direct versus indirect bioleaching. Science Direct, 9, Pages 2749.
Kapoor,

Uma Shankar Singh & Kiran. (2010). Microbial Biotechnology. Jaipur, India: Oxford Book Company.