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Efficient bioleaching of heavy metals from contaminated sediment in batch method coupled with the assistance of heterotrophic microorganisms

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Abstract

Heavy metal contamination has become a world concern with the rapid industrialization and urbanization process. In this study, a mesophile consortium including Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and Leptospirillum ferriphilum was applied in metals’ bioleaching with the assistance of isolated acid-tolerant microorganisms Rhodotorula and Aspergillus niger. The results showed that the bioleaching was totally inhibited in non-batch method system for the alkalinity and buffering capacity of the sediment. The inhibition on bioleaching can be effectively relieved with the batch method adopted. Dissolved organic matter hampered the substrate utilization and prolonged the bioleaching process. The toxic effect of dissolved organic matter to acidophile can be reduced by the isolated heterotrophic microorganism. A. thiooxidans was the dominant species in the early bioleaching stage, while the ratio of ferrous oxidation bacteria increased in the later stage. The introduction of heterotrophic microorganism to the system contributed to form a suitable ecological niche of each species. In the batch method adopted and heterotrophic microorganism inoculated system, the bioleaching efficiency of Mn, Cu, Zn and Cd reached 94, 90.9, 94.74 and 84.2 %, respectively. The main fractions of heavy metals after bioleaching are comparatively stable speciation. Heavy metals were reduced both in total content and bioavailability.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51174239), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of Central South University (2015zzts089) and the Hunan provincial Co-Innovation Center for Clean and Efficient Utilization of Strategic Metal Mineral Resources.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, People’s Republic of China

    Min Gan, Zibo Song, Jianyu Zhu & Xinxing Liu

  2. Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy of Ministry of Education, Changsha, 410083, People’s Republic of China

    Min Gan, Zibo Song, Jianyu Zhu & Xinxing Liu

Authors
  1. Min Gan
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  2. Zibo Song
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  3. Jianyu Zhu
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  4. Xinxing Liu
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Correspondence to Jianyu Zhu.

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Gan, M., Song, Z., Zhu, J. et al. Efficient bioleaching of heavy metals from contaminated sediment in batch method coupled with the assistance of heterotrophic microorganisms. Environ Earth Sci 75, 457 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5307-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5307-0

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