Effect of temperature on redox potential, iron speciation, and microbial population during chalcopyrite column bioleaching
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47796/ing.v8i00.1528Keywords:
bioleaching, chalcopyrite, iron, redox potential, temperatureAbstract
Temperature is a key factor in the activity of acidophilic microorganisms and the redox reactions involved in the bioleaching of sulfide minerals. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of temperature on redox potential (Eh), iron speciation, and microbial population during the bioleaching of low-grade chalcopyrite (0.52% Cu) in columns. Three operating temperatures (22, 32, and 42 °C) were evaluated, with four treatments at each temperature, using a Box-Behnken design. The process was conducted for 105 days, corresponding to seven irrigation and resting cycles. Redox potential, total iron, Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, and the microbial population of the Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans–Leptospirillum ferriphilum consortium were determined. The final average redox potential was 575.3, 584.3, and 565.3 mV at 22, 32, and 42 °C, respectively. Total iron concentrations were 1300.0, 1525.0, and 1002.5 mg/L, while the microbial population reached 5.35 × 10⁸, 7.77 × 10⁸, and 5.98 × 10⁸ cells/mL. The Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ ratio was highest at 32 °C (405.2), as was copper concentration recovery (4601.5 mg/L). The results indicate that 32 °C showed the most favorable response, suggesting that increasing the temperature to 42 °C does not necessarily improve the activity of the mesophilic consortium.
Downloads
References
Ahmadi, A. (2012). Influence of ferric and ferrous iron on chemical and bacterial leaching of copper flotation concentrates. International Journal of Nonferrous Metallurgy, 1(3), 42–48. https://doi.org/10.4236/ijnm.2012.13006
Bravo, D. A. (2016). Biolixiviación de calcopirita por Sulfobacillus acidophilus [Tesis de pregrado, Universidad de Chile]. Repositorio académico de la Universidad de Chile https://repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/138434
Brierley, C. L., y Brierley, J. A. (2013). Progress in bioleaching: part B: applications of microbial processes by the minerals industries. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 97(17), 7543–7552. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-013-5095-3
De Barros, R., Gomes, S., Silva, G., Cesario, I., y Gonzada, L. (2012). Bioleaching of copper sulphide flotation concentrate in batch reaction system using mesophile and thermophile microorganisms. Dyna, 79(171), 23-31. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=7767825
Farías, R., Norambuena, J., Ferrer, A., Camejo, P., Zapata, C., Chávez, R., Orellana, O., y Levicán, G. (2021). Redox stress response and UV tolerance in the acidophilic iron-oxidizing bacteria Leptospirillum ferriphilum and Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. Research in Microbiology, 172(3), 103833. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resmic.2021.103833
Hong, M., Huang, X., Gan, X., Qiu, G., y Wang, J. (2021). The use of pyrite to control redox potential to enhance chalcopyrite bioleaching in the presence of Leptospirillum ferriphilum. Minerals Engineering, 172(107145), 107145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mineng.2021.107145
Johnson, D. B. (2014). Biomining-biotechnologies for extracting and recovering metals from ores and waste materials. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 30, 24–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2014.04.008
Jones, S., y Santini, J. M. (2023). Mechanisms of bioleaching: iron and sulfur oxidation by acidophilic microorganisms. Essays in Biochemistry, 67(4), 685–699. https://doi.org/10.1042/EBC20220257
Kupka, D., Bártová, Z., y Hagarová, L. (2023). Kinetics study comparing bacterial growth and iron oxidation kinetics over a range of temperatures 5–45 °C. Hydrometallurgy, 222(106181), 106181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hydromet.2023.106181
Liu, H., Lu, X., Zhang, L., Xiang, W., Zhu, X., Li, J., Wang, X., Lu, J., y Wang, R. (2018). Collaborative effects of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and ferrous ions on the oxidation of chalcopyrite. Chemical Geology, 493, 109–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2018.05.032
Ma, L., Huang, S., Wu, P., Xiong, J., Wang, H., Liao, H., y Liu, X. (2021). The interaction of acidophiles driving community functional responses to the re-inoculated chalcopyrite bioleaching process. The Science of the Total Environment, 798(149186), 149186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149186
Panda, S., Akcil, A., Pradhan, N., y Deveci, H. (2015). Current scenario of chalcopyrite bioleaching: a review on the recent advances to its heap-leach technology. Bioresource Technology, 196, 694–706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2015.08.064
Rawlings, D. E., y Johnson, D. B. (2007). The microbiology of biomining: development and optimization of mineral-oxidizing microbial consortia. Microbiology (Reading, England), 153(Pt 2), 315–324. https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.2006/001206-0
Rohwerder, T., Gehrke, T., Kinzler, K., y Sand, W. (2003). Bioleaching review part A: progress in bioleaching: fundamentals and mechanisms of bacterial metal sulfide oxidation. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 63(3), 239–248. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-003-1448-7
Santos, A. L. A., Arena, F. A., Benedetti, A. V., y Bevilaqua, D. (2017). Effect of redox potential on chalcopyrite dissolution imposed by addition of ferrous ions. Eclética Química Journal, 42(1), 40. https://doi.org/10.26850/1678-4618eqj.v42.1.2017.p40-50
Schippers, A., Hedrich, S., Vasters, J., Drobe, M., Sand, W. y Willscher, S. (2013). Biomining: Metal Recovery from Ores with Microorganisms. En A. Schippers, F. Glombitza y W. Sand (Eds.), Geobiotechnology I. Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology (Vol. 141). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/10_2013_216
Silverman, M. P. y Lundgren, D. G. (1959). Studies on the chemoautotrophic iron bacterium Ferrobacillus ferrooxidans. I. An improved medium and a harvesting procedure for securing high cell yields. Journal of Bacteriology, 77(5), 642–647. https://doi.org/10.1128/jb.77.5.642-647.1959
Vakylabad, A. B., Nazari, S. y Darezereshki, E. (2022). Bioleaching of copper from chalcopyrite ore at higher NaCl concentrations. Minerals Engineering, 178, 107281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mineng.2021.107281
Vega Baca, B. R. (2025). Optimización de la temperatura, tamaño de partícula y pH de la solución ácida en columnas con calcopirita para maximizar la recuperación de cobre por biolixiviación, Tacna-2022 [Tesis de pregrado]. Universidad Nacional Jorge Basadre Grohmann. https://repositorio.unjbg.edu.pe/items/1193e0bb-a1fe-4c72-98e0-41e59bbcdab3
Vera, M., Schippers, A., Hedrich, S. y Sand, W. (2022). Progress in bioleaching: Fundamentals and mechanisms of microbial metal sulfide oxidation – Part A. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 106(21), 6933–6952. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-022-12168-7
Watling, H. R., Johnson, J. J., Shiers, D. W., Gibson, J. A. E., Nichols, P. D., Franzmann, P. D., y Plumb, J. J. (2016). Effect of temperature and inoculation strategy on Cu recovery and microbial activity in column bioleaching. Hydrometallurgy, 164, 189–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hydromet.2016.05.017
Yang, Y., Diao, M., Liu, K., Qian, L., Nguyen, A. V., y Qiu, G. (2013). Column bioleaching of low-grade copper ore by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans in pure and mixed cultures with a heterotrophic acidophile Acidiphilium sp. Hydrometallurgy, 131–132, 93–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hydromet.2012.09.003
Yu, Z.-J., Yu, R.-L., Liu, A.-J., Liu, J., Zeng, W.-M., Liu, X.-D., y Qiu, G.-Z. (2017). Effect of pH values on extracellular protein and polysaccharide secretions of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans during chalcopyrite bioleaching. Transactions of the Nonferrous Metals Society of China, 27(2), 406–412. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1003-6326(17)60046-3
Zhao, H., Zhang, Y., Zhang, X., Qian, L., Sun, M., Yang, Y., Zhang, Y., Wang, J., Kim, H., y Qiu, G. (2019). The dissolution and passivation mechanism of chalcopyrite in bioleaching: An overview. Minerals Engineering, 136, 140–154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mineng.2019.03.014
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Bianca Ruth Vega Baca, Walter Dimas Florez Ponce de León, Linley Salomón Vega Vega
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
