Archaeal diversity in two thermophilic chalcopyrite bioleaching reactors.

This study used a culture-independent molecular approach to investigate the archaeal community composition of thermophilic bioleaching reactors. Two culture samples, MTC-A and MTC-B, grown with different concentrations of chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), a copper sulfidic ore, at a temperature of 78 degrees C and pH 1.6 were studied. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA genes revealed that both cultures consisted of Archaea belonging to the Sulfolobales. The 16S rRNA gene clone library of MTC-A grown with 4% (w/v) chalcopyrite was dominated by a unique phylotype related to Sulfolobus shibatae (69% of total clones). The remaining clones were affiliated with Stygiolobus azoricus (11%), Metallosphaera sp. J1 (8%), Acidianus infernus (2%), and a novel phylotype related to Sulfurisphaera ohwakuensis (10%). In contrast, the clones from MTC-B grown with 12% (w/v) chalcopyrite did not appear to contain Sulfolobus shibatae-like organisms. Instead the bioleaching consortium was dominated by clones related to Sulfurisphaera ohwakuensis (73.9% of total clones). The remaining microorganisms detected were similar to those found in MTC-A.

[1]  K. Timmis,et al.  Ferroplasma and relatives, recently discovered cell wall-lacking archaea making a living in extremely acid, heavy metal-rich environments. , 2005, Environmental microbiology.

[2]  M. Dopson,et al.  Analysis of Community Composition during Moderately Thermophilic Bioleaching of Pyrite, Arsenical Pyrite, and Chalcopyrite. , 2004, Microbial Ecology.

[3]  K. Schleifer,et al.  ARB: a software environment for sequence data. , 2004, Nucleic acids research.

[4]  W. Sand,et al.  Bioleaching review part A: , 2003, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[5]  Å. Sandström,et al.  A sequential two-step process using moderately and extremely thermophilic cultures for biooxidation of refractory gold concentrates , 2003 .

[6]  D Barrie Johnson,et al.  The microbiology of acidic mine waters. , 2003, Research in microbiology.

[7]  P. Franzmann,et al.  Comparative Leaching of Chalcopyrite by Selected Acidophilic Bacteria and Archaea , 2003 .

[8]  D. Johnson,et al.  Enumeration and Characterization of Acidophilic Microorganisms Isolated from a Pilot Plant Stirred-Tank Bioleaching Operation , 2003, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[9]  D. Rawlings,et al.  Molecular Relationship between Two Groups of the Genus Leptospirillum and the Finding that Leptospirillum ferriphilum sp. nov. Dominates South African Commercial Biooxidation Tanks That Operate at 40°C , 2002, Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

[10]  F. J. Alguacil,et al.  Comparative study on the selective chalcopyrite bioleaching of a molybdenite concentrate with mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria. , 2001, FEMS microbiology letters.

[11]  McEwan,et al.  Bioleaching of base metal sulphide concentrates : A comparison of high and low temperature bioleaching , 2000 .

[12]  P. Norris,et al.  Microbiology of acidic, geothermal springs of Montserrat: environmental rDNA analysis , 2000, Extremophiles.

[13]  K. Timmis,et al.  Ferroplasma acidiphilum gen. nov., sp. nov., an acidophilic, autotrophic, ferrous-iron-oxidizing, cell-wall-lacking, mesophilic member of the Ferroplasmaceae fam. nov., comprising a distinct lineage of the Archaea. , 2000, International journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology.

[14]  P. Norris,et al.  Acidophiles in bioreactor mineral processing , 2000, Extremophiles.

[15]  D. Johnson,et al.  Biodiversity and ecology of acidophilic microorganisms , 1998 .

[16]  D. Rawlings.  Industrial practice and the biology of leaching of metals from ores The 1997 Pan Labs Lecture , 1998, Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[17]  L. Forney,et al.  Distribution of bacterioplankton in meromictic Lake Saelenvannet, as determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of PCR-amplified gene fragments coding for 16S rRNA , 1997, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[18]  K. Bosecker,et al.  Bioleaching: metal solubilization by microorganisms , 1997 .

[19]  P. Norris,et al.  Acidimicrobium ferrooxidans gen. nov., sp. nov.: mixed-culture ferrous iron oxidation with Sulfobacillus species. , 1996, Microbiology.

[20]  James R. Cole,et al.  The Ribosomal Database Project (RDP-II): previewing a new autoaligner that allows regular updates and the new prokaryotic taxonomy , 2003, Nucleic Acids Res..

[21]  Thomas Huber,et al.  Chimeric 16S rDNA sequences of diverse origin are accumulating in the public databases. , 2003, International journal of systematic and evolutionary microbiology.

[22]  D. Rawlings,et al.  Heavy metal mining using microbes. , 2002, Annual review of microbiology.

[23]  K B Hallberg,et al.  Biodiversity of acidophilic prokaryotes. , 2001, Advances in applied microbiology.

[24]  S. Deane,et al.  Thiobacillus caldus and Leptospirillum ferrooxidans are widely distributed in continuous flow biooxidation tanks used to treat a variety of metal containing ores and concentrates , 1999 .

[25]  H. Tributsch,et al.  Reasons why 'Leptospirillum'-like species rather than Thiobacillus ferrooxidans are the dominant iron-oxidizing bacteria in many commercial processes for the biooxidation of pyrite and related ores. , 1999, Microbiology.

[26]  D. Johnson,et al.  Heterotrophic Acidophiles and Their Roles in the Bioleaching of Sulfide Minerals , 1997 .