Summary
Continuous leaching of a pyritic flotation concentrate by mixed cultures of acidophilic bacteria was studied in a laboratory scale airlift reactor. Enrichment cultures adapted to the flotation concentrate contained Thiobacillus ferrooxidans and Thiobacillus thiooxidans. During the late stationary growth phase of these thiobacilli growth of Leptospirillum-like bacteria was observed, too. In discontinuous cultivation no significant influence of Leptospirillum-like bacteria on leaching rates could be detected. During continuous leaching at pH 1.5 Leptospirillum-like bacteria displaced Thiobacillus ferrooxidans. The iron leaching rate achieved by Leptospirillum-rich cultures was found to be up to 3.9 times higher than that by Leptospirillum-free cultures.
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Helle, U., Onken, U. Continuous microbial leaching of a pyritic concentrate by Leptospirillum-like bacteria. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 28, 553–558 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00250411
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00250411