Biogenesis of thiosulfate in microorganisms and its applications for sustainable metal extraction

McNeice, James; Mahandra, Harshit; Ghahreman, Ahmad

doi:10.1007/s11157-022-09630-3

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 146 publications

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“…However, due to the purpose of using sodium sulfide as a means of generating aqueous H 2 S the potential of a mixed system is the most promising. Several sulfate reducing bacteria can reduce SO 4 and S 0 to H 2 S and could be applied directly before Bio-TS production by M. sulfidovorans [22]. Bacteria including Geobacter sulfurreducens PCA and Desulfomicrobium baculatum have been applied to produce biogenic H 2 S for application in sulfide precipitation of metals in process waters [41].…”

Section: Discussion Of Substrate Viabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many microorganisms produce thiosulfate as biogenic products of metabolism or as a consequence of side reactions involving other biogenic products, such as polysulfide and sulfite [22]. Methylophaga sulfidovorans is a species of particular interest due to its ability to produce thiosulfate stoichiometrically as a product of chemolithoheterotrophic growth on organic and inorganic sulfur compounds [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biogenic Production of Thiosulfate from Organic and Inorganic Sulfur Substrates for Application to Gold Leaching

2022

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Gold mining and processing is an activity with large environmental impact due to the low concentration of gold in ore deposits and chemical resistance to most chemicals. Over 75% of gold is leached from ores using cyanide, however less toxic lixiviants have been proposed in the literature. Thiosulfate is one of these alternative reagents, but high reagent consumption has slowed acceptance in mining operations. Reducing the cost and impact of thiosulfate production is a way to reduce the cost of reagent consumption during leaching. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of leaching gold from ore with biogenic thiosulfate. Biogenic thiosulfate was produced using a marine methylotroph bacterium from three substrates: sodium sulfide, elemental sulfur, and dimethyl sulfide for application in bioleaching. The different substrates were evaluated to determine conversion efficiency from the sulfur source to biogenic thiosulfate and verified by titration and ion chromatography. Optimal conditions for conversion to thiosulfate were determined to be in the range of pH = 7–8, 25–30 °C, with sodium sulfide as a substrate in a sealed system to prevent sulfide from escaping as hydrogen sulfide gas. An oxide gold ore with a grade of 4.02 g/t was selected as a gold source for leaching experiments. The leaching of gold using the biogenic thiosulfate was compared with chemical thiosulfate solutions under experimental conditions of pH = 9.5, 50 mg/L copper, 500 RPM mixing, and 0.1 L/min air. The efficiency of gold bioleaching was measured using flame atomic absorption spectroscopy and fire assay. Gold extraction efficiencies ranging from 20–60% were achieved using the biogenic thiosulfate, and 27–77% with sodium thiosulfate solutions, respectively. It was concluded that the sodium sulfide substrate was best for producing higher biogenic thiosulfate concentrations and leaching efficiency.

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Section: Discussion Of Substrate Viabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biogenic Production of Thiosulfate from Organic and Inorganic Sulfur Substrates for Application to Gold Leaching

2022

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“…Low cost, rapid leaching rate, and eco-friendly Low chemical stability and low metal recovery [63] Cyanide extraction Very effective for some precious metals such as gold (Au)…”

Section: Metal Dissolution Process Advantages Disadvantage Referencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thiosulphate extraction can be used for some valuable metals including Au and Ag, which are associated with huge amounts of cell phone industrial wastes. [ 63 ] Hence, this specialized process mainly involves and is mostly suitable for cell phone manufacturing industrial wastewater sludge. The process's main advantages are that it requires less interaction with other cationic species and solubilizes the targeted metals through recoverable complex formation.…”

Section: Metal Extraction Processes From Industrial Wastewater Sludgementioning

confidence: 99%

An overview of metals extraction and recovery from industrial wastewater sludge

Al‐Mutair,

Kumar,

Al‐Mur

et al. 2024

Can J Chem Eng

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Industrial wastewater sludge is one of the vital sources of metals, including heavy metals, valuable metals, and precise metals. Apart from metals' necessity and economic value, some are toxic and harmful to the environment. This review explores the technologies currently applied for extracting and recovering heavy metals from industrial wastewater sludge. The technologies have been explained, and the merits and demerits of methods, as reported in past investigations, have been highlighted. The salient findings of this review are that the hydrometallurgical processes using acid leaching (H2SO4, HNO3, HCl, etc.) have been considered for the metal extraction process. Metal dissolution, concentration/purification, and recovery are the main stages of hydrometallurgical processes. The selection of successive metal recovery methods depends on the concentration of metals and chemical characteristics of industrial wastewater sludge. Different metal purification and concentrations were reported, including adsorption, ion exchange solvent extraction, and so forth, while precipitation and electrodeposition were mainly applied for metal recovery from industrial wastewater sludge. In this review, the cost and economic viability of the metal recovery process are also evaluated by previous reported studies. This review may be considered a valuable source of information for environmentally friendly and cost‐effective methods for metal recovery from industrial wastewater sludge.

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“…Neutrophilic bacteria include microorganisms that can thrive at pH > 4 but have a more favorable growth at a circumneutral pH between pH 6.0 and 8.0 (Kelly et al, 2015;Lee et al, 2021). Most neutrophiles are commonly found in soils, wastewater, and marine freshwater and have an important role in the natural sulfur cycle on earth (McNeice et al, 2022). Neutrophilic bacteria also have significant importance in the waste remediation industry, including desulfurizing both liquid and gas waste streams.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A developing novel alternative bio-oxidation approach to treat low-grade refractory sulfide ores at circumneutral pH

Hein

Mahandra

Ghahreman

2023

Front. Sustain. Resour. Manag.

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The extensive neutralization required in acidic bio-oxidation, a conventional pretreatment for low-grade refractory matrices in the gold industry, constitutes one of the principal drawbacks due to the large volume of waste streams. Performing an oxidative pretreatment at circumneutral pH with an in-situ neutralization would avoid the production of undesirable waste, causing potential economic and environmental advantages. For the first time, this investigation evaluates a novel process involving a biological oxidative pretreatment for low-grade refractory ore using two biosafety level 1 neutrophilic microorganisms encompassing Thiobacillus thioparus and Starkeya novella at near-neutral pH. Optimal bacterial growth conditions were determined regarding the culture medium and initial energy source using UV-visible and manual cell counting (cells/mL). Thereafter, biological oxidation of different matrices, including first elemental sulfur and subsequently a refractory sulfidic ore, was evaluated in batch flask cultures and then scaled up into a bioreactor using optimal experimental conditions. Results revealed that culture media containing ca. 4.5 and ca. 0.9 g/L thiosulfate favored biological oxidation of the refractory sulfidic ore using T. Thioparus and S. Novella, respectively, which led to corresponding sulfide oxidation of 27 and 14% within 10 days, comparable to reported studies. The biological action was confirmed by C/S detector and SEM technique of pre- and post-pretreatment residues. Overall, this research is a step forward to advance the understanding of a biological pretreatment out of the highly acidic pH range, promoting the view of a net-zero target by potentially reducing the production of more significant waste streams compared to conventional operations.

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Biogenesis of thiosulfate in microorganisms and its applications for sustainable metal extraction

Cited by 10 publications

References 146 publications

Biogenic Production of Thiosulfate from Organic and Inorganic Sulfur Substrates for Application to Gold Leaching

Biogenic Production of Thiosulfate from Organic and Inorganic Sulfur Substrates for Application to Gold Leaching

An overview of metals extraction and recovery from industrial wastewater sludge

A developing novel alternative bio-oxidation approach to treat low-grade refractory sulfide ores at circumneutral pH

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