Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada.
Environ Sci Technol. 2010 Jan 1;44(1):456-62. doi: 10.1021/es900986n.
Bioleaching experiments using various acid-generating substances, i.e., metal sulfides and elemental sulfur, were conducted to demonstrate the accelerated dissolution of chrysotile tailings collected from an asbestos mine near Clinton Creek, Yukon, Canada. Columns, possessing an acid-generating substance colonized with Acidithiobacillus sp., produced leachates with magnesium concentrations that were an order of magnitude greater than mine site waters or control column leachates. In addition, chrysotile tailings were efficient at neutralizing acidity, which resulted in the immobilization of metals (Fe, Cu, Zn) associated with the metal sulfide mine tailings that were used to generate acid. This suggests that tailings from acid mine drainage environments may be utilized to enhance chrysotile dissolution without polluting "downstream" ecosystems. These results demonstrate that the addition of an acid-generating substance in conjunction with a microbial catalyst can significantly enhance the release of magnesium ions, which are then available for the precipitation of carbonate minerals. This process, as part of a carbon dioxide sequestration program, has implications for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions in the mining industry.
使用各种产酸物质（如金属硫化物和单质硫）进行了生物浸出实验，以证明从加拿大育空地区克林顿溪附近的石棉矿收集的温石棉尾矿的加速溶解。产酸物质上定植有嗜酸硫杆菌（Acidithiobacillus sp.）的柱状物产生的浸出液中镁浓度比矿山现场水或对照柱浸出液高一个数量级。此外，温石棉尾矿对中和酸度非常有效，导致与用于产酸的金属硫化物尾矿相关的金属（Fe、Cu、Zn）被固定。这表明来自酸性矿山排水环境的尾矿可能被利用来增强温石棉的溶解，而不会污染“下游”生态系统。这些结果表明，添加产酸物质与微生物催化剂相结合可以显著提高镁离子的释放，然后这些镁离子可用于碳酸盐矿物的沉淀。作为二氧化碳封存计划的一部分，该过程对减少采矿业的净温室气体排放具有重要意义。
