Bioremediation of heavy metals by soil-dwelling microbes: an environment survival approach

Zinc and Lead Metallurgical Slags as a Potential Source of Metal Recovery: A Review

“…In practice, biohydrometallurgical processes are carried out using mixtures of microbial populations that occur naturally in iron-and sulphur-rich environments; bacterial monocultures are not used. The bioleaching process follows two main mechanisms: indirect and direct [77][78][79][80].…”

“…Microorganisms are the source of the leaching agent, which chemically oxidises the sulphide minerals. In this model, no physical contact occurs between the bacterial cell and the mineral surface [77][78][79][80].…”

“…The indigenous microorganisms present at the site where the slags are deposited have the highest contaminant removal efficiency by adapting to conditions with higher metal content. For this reason, Acidithiobacillus bacteria are the most commonly used in studies of bioleaching of components from metallurgical slags because environmental bacteria from these genera have been widely reported in slag deposition sites [77][78][79][80].…”