Microbial diversity in uranium mine waste heaps

Two different uranium mine waste heaps near Ronneburg, Thuringia, Germany, which contain the remains of the activity of the former uranium-mining Soviet-East German company Wismut AG, were analyzed for the occurrence of lithotrophic and chemoorganotropic leach bacteria. A total of 162 ore samples were taken up to a depth of 5 m. Cell counts of ferrous iron-, sulfur-, sulfur compound-, ammonia-, and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria were determined quantitatively by the most-probable-number technique. Sulfate-, nitrate-, ferric iron-, and manganese-reducing bacteria were also detected. In addition, the metabolic activity of sulfur- and iron-oxidizing bacteria was measured by microcalorimetry. Generally, all microorganisms mentioned above were detectable in the heaps. Aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms thrived up to a depth of 1.5 to 2 m. Up to 99% of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans cells, the dominant leaching bacteria, occurred to this depth. Their numbers correlated with the microbial activity measurements. Samples below 1.5 to 2 m exhibited reduced oxygen concentrations and reduced cell counts for all microorganisms.

[1]  V. Groudeva,et al.  Microbial communities in four industrial copper dump leaching operations in Bulgaria , 1993 .

[2]  W. Sand,et al.  Estimations on the degradability of ores and bacterial leaching activity using short-time microcalorimetric tests , 1993 .

[3]  K. Finster,et al.  Bacterial Disproportionation of Elemental Sulfur Coupled to Chemical Reduction of Iron or Manganese , 1993, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[4]  W. Sand,et al.  In-situ bioleaching of metal sulfides: the importance of Leptospirillum ferrooxidans. , 1993 .

[5]  W. Sand,et al.  Physiological characteristics of thiobacillus ferrooxidans and leptospirillum ferrooxidans and physicochemical factors influence microbial metal leaching , 1992 .

[6]  T. Beveridge,et al.  Enumeration of Thiobacilli within pH-Neutral and Acidic Mine Tailings and Their Role in the Development of Secondary Mineral Soil , 1992, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[7]  W. Sand,et al.  Evaluation of Leptospirillum ferrooxidans for Leaching , 1992, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[8]  W. Sand,et al.  Enhanced leaching of a sulphide ore by biological acidification , 1992 .

[9]  G. Lange,et al.  GEOLOGIE UND BERGBAU IN DER URANLAGERSTATTE RONNEBURG/THURINGEN , 1991 .

[10]  G. Lange,et al.  DER URANERZBERGBAU IN THURINGEN UND SACHSEN : EIN GEOLOGISCH-BERGMANNISCHER UBERBLICK , 1991 .

[11]  J. Pichtel,et al.  Sulfur, iron and solid phase transformations during the biological oxidation of pyritic mine spoil , 1991 .

[12]  W. Dilling,et al.  Aerobic respiration in sulfate‐reducing bacteria* , 1990 .

[13]  W. Sand.  Ferric iron reduction by Thiobacillus ferrooxidans at extremely low pH-values , 1989 .

[14]  A. Ramirez,et al.  Aerobic and anaerobic microbial dissolution of toxic metals from coal wastes: mechanism of action , 1989 .

[15]  D. Lovley,et al.  Novel Mode of Microbial Energy Metabolism: Organic Carbon Oxidation Coupled to Dissimilatory Reduction of Iron or Manganese , 1988, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[16]  F. T. Caruccio,et al.  The Partitioning of Flow Components of Acidic Seeps from Surface Coal Mines and the Identification of Acid Producing Horizons within the Backfill , 1988 .

[17]  M. Silver.  Distribution of Iron-Oxidizing Bacteria in the Nordic Uranium Tailings Deposit, Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada , 1987, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[18]  D. Thompson,et al.  The effect of acidophilic heterotrophic bacteria on the leaching of cobalt by Thiobacillus ferrooxidans , 1987 .

[19]  W. Sand,et al.  Evidence for the Existence of a Sulphur Oxygenase in Sulfolobus brierleyi , 1986 .

[20]  D. Lovley,et al.  Organic Matter Mineralization with Reduction of Ferric Iron in Anaerobic Sediments , 1986, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[21]  D. Nordstrom,et al.  Initiation of aqueous pyrite oxidation by dissolved oxygen and by ferric iron , 1987 .

[22]  J. L. Corbin.  Liquid Chromatographic-Fluorescence Determination of Ammonia from Nitrogenase Reactions: A 2-Min Assay , 1984, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[23]  A. P. Harrison.  The acidophilic thiobacilli and other acidophilic bacteria that share their habitat. , 1984, Annual review of microbiology.

[24]  A. Cooper.  Population Ecology of Nitrifiers in a Stream Receiving Geothermal Inputs of Ammonium , 1983, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[25]  M. Goldhaber.  Experimental study of metastable sulfur oxyanion formation during pyrite oxidation at pH 6-9 and 30 degrees C , 1983 .

[26]  J. Cherry,et al.  Contaminant migration in a sand aquifer near an inactive uranium tailings impoundment, Elliot Lake, Ontario , 1982 .

[27]  A. P. Harrison.  Acidiphilium cryptum gen. nov., sp. nov., Heterotrophic Bacterium From Acidic Mineral Environments , 1981 .

[28]  A. Ritchie,et al.  Temperature Distributions in an Overburden Dump Undergoing Pyritic Oxidation , 1980 .

[29]  M. Silver,et al.  Ore leaching by bacteria. , 1980, Annual review of microbiology.

[30]  M. Mackintosh.  Nitrogen fixation by thiobacillus ferrooxidans , 1978 .

[31]  A. Matin,et al.  Organic nutrition of chemolithotrophic bacteria. , 1978, Annual review of microbiology.

[32]  T. D. Brock,et al.  Ferric iron reduction by sulfur- and iron-oxidizing bacteria , 1976, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[33]  J. H. Tuttle,et al.  Inhibition of growth, iron, and sulfur oxidation in Thiobacillus ferrooxidans by simple organic compounds. , 1976, Canadian journal of microbiology.

[34]  A. Matin,et al.  Enzymes of Carbohydrate Metabolism in Thiobacillus species , 1971, Journal of bacteriology.

[35]  T. G. Mitchell,et al.  Chapter I Media for the Maintenance and Preservation of Bacteria , 1970 .

[36]  D. White,et al.  The taxonomy of certain thiobacilli. , 1965, Journal of general microbiology.

[37]  J. Postgate.  Versatile medium for the enumeration of sulfate-reducing bacteria. , 1963, Applied microbiology.