Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
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Hyphae and organic acids of Aspergillus Niger promote uranium recovery by destroying the ore surface and increasing the porosity and permeability of ores

  • Yongdong Wang (Key Discipline Laboratory for National Defense for Biotechnology in Uranium Mining and Hydrometallurgy, University of South China) ;
  • Jinhua Wang (Key Discipline Laboratory for National Defense for Biotechnology in Uranium Mining and Hydrometallurgy, University of South China) ;
  • Dexin Ding (Key Discipline Laboratory for National Defense for Biotechnology in Uranium Mining and Hydrometallurgy, University of South China) ;
  • Guangyue Li (Key Discipline Laboratory for National Defense for Biotechnology in Uranium Mining and Hydrometallurgy, University of South China) ;
  • Jing Sun (Key Discipline Laboratory for National Defense for Biotechnology in Uranium Mining and Hydrometallurgy, University of South China) ;
  • Nan Hu (Key Discipline Laboratory for National Defense for Biotechnology in Uranium Mining and Hydrometallurgy, University of South China) ;
  • Feng Li (Key Discipline Laboratory for National Defense for Biotechnology in Uranium Mining and Hydrometallurgy, University of South China) ;
  • Jianhong Ma (Key Discipline Laboratory for National Defense for Biotechnology in Uranium Mining and Hydrometallurgy, University of South China) ;
  • Hui Zhang (Key Discipline Laboratory for National Defense for Biotechnology in Uranium Mining and Hydrometallurgy, University of South China) ;
  • Yang Ding (Key Discipline Laboratory for National Defense for Biotechnology in Uranium Mining and Hydrometallurgy, University of South China) ;
  • Zhongran Dai (Key Discipline Laboratory for National Defense for Biotechnology in Uranium Mining and Hydrometallurgy, University of South China)
  • Received : 2023.08.28
  • Accepted : 2023.12.24
  • Published : 2024.05.25
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Abstract

To elucidate the mechanism of damage caused by hyphae and organic acids produced by Aspergillus Niger on the surface and internal structure of uranium ore, direct uranium leaching, indirect uranium leaching and semidirect uranium leaching were conducted, and the surface morphology, strength, mineral crystallinity, porosity, and permeability of the ore were analyzed. The results demonstrated that the combination of biomechanical forces exerted by hyphae and the complexation effects of organic acids led to the dissolution of SiO2 and other substances on the surface of ore, resulting in exfoliation from the exterior to the interior, thereby promoting uranium recovery. Furthermore, the proton exchange involving H+ and the complexation of organic acids resulted in the dissolution of cations within the ore, causing destruction to the crystal lattice structure of minerals and increasing the porosity and permeability inside the ore. The dominant factor contributing to ore damage during recovery was organic acids.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, China [grant number 2022JJ30491]; the Research Foundation of Education Bureau of Hunan Province, China [grant number 22A0308]; and the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 11505093].

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