Combined effects of jarosite and visible light on chalcopyrite dissolution mediated by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

Baojun Yang; Mo Lin; Jinghua Fang; Ruiyong Zhang; Wen Luo; Xingxing Wang; Rui Liao; Baiqiang Wu; Jun Wang; Min Gan; Bin Liu; Yi Zhang; Xueduan Liu; Wenqing Qin; Guanzhou Qiu

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134175

Combined effects of jarosite and visible light on chalcopyrite dissolution mediated by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

Sci Total Environ. 2020 Jan 1:698:134175. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134175. Epub 2019 Aug 28.

Authors

Baojun Yang¹, Mo Lin¹, Jinghua Fang², Ruiyong Zhang³, Wen Luo⁴, Xingxing Wang¹, Rui Liao¹, Baiqiang Wu¹, Jun Wang⁵, Min Gan⁶, Bin Liu², Yi Zhang⁷, Xueduan Liu¹, Wenqing Qin¹, Guanzhou Qiu¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, China; Key Laboratory of Biohydrometallurgy, Ministry of Education, Changsha, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha, China.
³ Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, Stilleweg 2, 30655 Hannover, Germany.
⁴ The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Central South University, Changsha, China.
⁵ School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, China; Key Laboratory of Biohydrometallurgy, Ministry of Education, Changsha, China. Electronic address: wjwq2000@126.com.
⁶ School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, China; Key Laboratory of Biohydrometallurgy, Ministry of Education, Changsha, China. Electronic address: ganmin0803@sina.com.
⁷ College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, China.

PMID: 31518786
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134175

Abstract

Although jarosite and visible light are important factors for the formation of acid mine drainage (AMD), the effects of combined jarosite and visible light on chalcopyrite biodissolution have not been explored until now. In order to fill this knowledge gap, the combined effects of jarosite and visible light on chalcopyrite dissolution mediated by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans were investigated. The results indicated that jarosite and visible light could significantly accelerate chalcopyrite biodissolution, thus releasing more copper ions, iron ions and producing more acid. This in turn suggests enhanced generation of AMD under these conditions. Biodissolution results, mineral surface morphology, mineralogical phase and elemental composition analyses revealed that the promotion of chalcopyrite dissolution by additional jarosite and visible light was mainly attributed to the acceleration of ferric iron/ferrous iron cycling and the inhibition of the formation of a passivation layer (jarosite and S_n^2-/S⁰) on the surface of chalcopyrite. This study provides a better understanding of the effects of jarosite and visible light on chalcopyrite biodissolution. In the future, the influences of jarosite and visible light on chalcopyrite dissolution should be considered in AMD evaluation to ensure reliability.

Keywords: Acid mine drainage; Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans; Biodissolution; Chalcopyrite; Jarosite; Visible light.

MeSH terms

Acidithiobacillus / metabolism*
Biodegradation, Environmental*
Copper / chemistry*
Ferric Compounds / chemistry*
Light
Sulfates / chemistry*

Substances

Ferric Compounds
Sulfates
jarosite
chalcopyrite
Copper