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The Bioleaching of Sphalerite by Moderately Thermophilic Bacteria  

Park, Cbeon-Young (Department of Energy and Resource Engineering, Chosun University)
Cheong, Kyung-Hoon (Department of Environmental Engineering and BK21 Team for Biohydrogen Production, Chosun University)
Kim, Bong-Ju (Department of Energy and Resource Engineering, Chosun University)
Publication Information
Economic and Environmental Geology / v.43, no.6, 2010 , pp. 573-587 More about this Journal
Abstract
Bioleaching experiments were effectively carried out at $42^{\circ}C$, $52^{\circ}C$ and $62^{\circ}C$ to leach the more valuable metal ions from sphalerite using bacteria. The pH values of the bioleaching solution were constantly maintained for 10 days in the range of 2.40 to 2.55. In these bioleaching experiments, rod-shaped bacteria attached to the sphalerite surface were continuously observed in the sample. Along with the increase in the leaching temperatures, the concentration of Zn and Pb increased in the control sample of leachates, whereas the concentration of Fe increased in the sample containing bacteria. At $42^{\circ}C$, $52^{\circ}C$ and $62^{\circ}C$ the biological leaching content of Zn was found to be 9.5, 2.8 and 2.9 times higher than that in the chemical leaching content, respectively. At these temperatures, the content of Pb in the bacterial sample of the leachate was detected to be 14.8, 7.4 and 3.8 times higher than that of the control sample of the leachate, respectively.
Keywords
bioleaching; valuable metal ion; moderately thermophilic bacteria; sphalerite;
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Times Cited By KSCI : 5  (Citation Analysis)
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