Santini, Joanna M;
(2023)
Mechanisms of bioleaching: iron and sulfur oxidation by acidophilic microorganisms.
Essays in Biochemistry
, Article EBC20220257. 10.1042/EBC20220257.
(In press).
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Abstract
Bioleaching offers a low-input method of extracting valuable metals from sulfide minerals, which works by exploiting the sulfur and iron metabolisms of microorganisms to break down the ore. Bioleaching microbes generate energy by oxidising iron and/or sulfur, consequently generating oxidants that attack sulfide mineral surfaces, releasing target metals. As sulfuric acid is generated during the process, bioleaching organisms are typically acidophiles, and indeed the technique is based on natural processes that occur at acid mine drainage sites. While the overall concept of bioleaching appears straightforward, a series of enzymes is required to mediate the complex sulfur oxidation process. This review explores the mechanisms underlying bioleaching, summarising current knowledge on the enzymes driving microbial sulfur and iron oxidation in acidophiles. Up-to-date models are provided of the two mineral-defined pathways of sulfide mineral bioleaching: the thiosulfate and the polysulfide pathway.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Mechanisms of bioleaching: iron and sulfur oxidation by acidophilic microorganisms |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1042/EBC20220257 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1042/EBC20220257 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This is an open access article published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society and distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC BY). (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Open access for this article was enabled by the participation of University College London in an all-inclusive Read & Publish agreement with Portland Press and the Biochemical Society under a transformative agreement with JISC. |
| Keywords: | Acidophiles, Bioleaching, Iron oxidation, Sulfur oxidation |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > Div of Biosciences > Structural and Molecular Biology |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10173390 |
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