Safar Camila, Castro Camila, Donati Edgardo
CINDEFI (CCT La Plata -CONICET, U.N.L.P.), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata 1900, Argentina.
Microorganisms. 2020 Jul 6;8(7):1009. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms8071009.
Studies of thermophilic microorganisms have shown that they have a considerable biotechnological potential due to their optimum growth and metabolism at high temperatures. Thermophilic archaea have unique characteristics with important biotechnological applications; many of these species could be used in bioleaching processes to recover valuable metals from mineral ores. Particularly, bioleaching at high temperatures using thermoacidophilic microorganisms can greatly improve metal solubilization from refractory mineral species such as chalcopyrite (CuFeS), one of the most abundant and widespread copper-bearing minerals. Interfacial processes such as early cell adhesion, biofilm development, and the formation of passive layers on the mineral surface play important roles in the initial steps of bioleaching processes. The present work focused on the investigation of different bioleaching conditions using the thermoacidophilic archaeon DSM 29038 to elucidate which steps are pivotal during the chalcopyrite bioleaching. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) were used to visualize the microorganism-mineral interaction. Results showed that up to 85% of copper recovery from chalcopyrite could be achieved using . Improvements in these yields are intimately related to an early contact between cells and the mineral surface. On the other hand, surface coverage by inactivated cells as well as precipitates significantly reduced copper recoveries.
对嗜热微生物的研究表明，由于它们在高温下能实现最佳生长和代谢，因此具有相当大的生物技术潜力。嗜热古菌具有独特的特性，有着重要的生物技术应用；其中许多物种可用于生物浸出过程，从矿石中回收有价值的金属。特别是，利用嗜热嗜酸微生物在高温下进行生物浸出，能够极大地提高从诸如黄铜矿（CuFeS）这种最丰富且分布广泛的含铜矿物等难处理矿物物种中溶解金属的能力。诸如早期细胞黏附、生物膜形成以及在矿物表面形成钝化层等界面过程，在生物浸出过程的初始步骤中起着重要作用。本研究聚焦于利用嗜热嗜酸古菌DSM 29038研究不同的生物浸出条件，以阐明在黄铜矿生物浸出过程中哪些步骤至关重要。采用荧光原位杂交（FISH）和共聚焦激光扫描显微镜（CLSM）来观察微生物与矿物的相互作用。结果表明，使用……可实现从黄铜矿中高达85%的铜回收率。这些产率的提高与细胞和矿物表面的早期接触密切相关。另一方面，失活细胞以及沉淀物的表面覆盖显著降低了铜的回收率。
