A Novel Approach for Microbial Activity Assessment in Bioleaching. Towards to a Standardised Fast Starting up Protocol
Biohydrometallurgy is a proven industrial method for extracting base metals from sulfidic ores with low-grade content and as a pre-treatment of Au ores. The lack of study of biological aspects related with microbial activity assessment makes it difficult to control and monitor these processes; and t...
| Autores: | , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2024 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad de Sevilla (US) |
| Repositorio: | idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:idus.us.es:11441/168491 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/11441/168491 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mineng.2024.109053 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Bacterial Activity Bioleaching Biooxidation Dissolved Oxygen Oxygen Uptake Rate |
| Sumario: | Biohydrometallurgy is a proven industrial method for extracting base metals from sulfidic ores with low-grade content and as a pre-treatment of Au ores. The lack of study of biological aspects related with microbial activity assessment makes it difficult to control and monitor these processes; and the multitude of experimental procedures described in the literature hinders cross-study comparisons among researchers. Experimental tools that allow a quick and reliable quantitative assessment of the iron oxidising capacity of the cells during the bioleaching process are needed. This work proposes monitoring microbial activity through a simple and reliable method based on the offline measurement of the Oxygen Uptake Rate (OUR). The methodology allows to quantify the microbial activity evolution of a growing culture under no-limiting conditions. By this methodology, the maximum potential bioleaching rate of the culture at any time is determined, assessing the occurrence of a biological or chemical limitation. The results obtained reveals that whether due to Fe2+ or O2 depletion, substrate availability significantly limits microbial activity. This aspect is key to assess a culture suitability for bioleaching bioreactor inoculation, preventing long lag phases. Furthermore, the methodology allows for quick disturbances correction, avoiding process shutdowns and enhances technological reliability of continuous bioleaching. |
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