Biomaterial Database

Attachment of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans to pyrite in fresh and saline water and fitting to Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. 2020

Francisca San Martín, and Willy Kracht, and Tomás Vargas

Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Vicuña Mackenna 3939, Santiago, Chile. francisca.san@usm.cl.

OBJECTIVE This study aims to investigate the attachment of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans to pyrite in two different environments: fresh and saline water (water with 35 g/L of NaCl or 0.6 M). Adsorption isotherms were analyzed using the Langmuir and Freundlich models. Saline water is water with 35 g/L of NaCl (0.6 M), which is the concentration of NaCl in seawater. The use of raw seawater in mining is becoming relevant in leaching and flotation process. At the same time the use of microorganisms in both processes is gaining attention. For this reason, it is important to study the behavior of adherence of microorganisms to minerals in saline aqueous environments, similar to seawater. RESULTS The bacteria showed a higher level of attachment to pyrite in fresh water than in saline water. The Langmuir model fitted better the experimental data obtained in fresh water than in saline water with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.85 and 0.61 for fresh and saline water, respectively. CONCLUSIONS This suggests that the bacteria tend to adhere more as a monolayer in fresh than in saline water in the early stage of adhesion.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007501	Iron	A metallic element with atomic symbol Fe, atomic number 26, and atomic weight 55.85. It is an essential constituent of HEMOGLOBINS; CYTOCHROMES; and IRON-BINDING PROTEINS. It plays a role in cellular redox reactions and in the transport of OXYGEN.	Iron-56,Iron 56
D007700	Kinetics	The rate dynamics in chemical or physical systems.
D008956	Models, Chemical	Theoretical representations that simulate the behavior or activity of chemical processes or phenomena; includes the use of mathematical equations, computers, and other electronic equipment.	Chemical Models,Chemical Model,Model, Chemical
D005618	Fresh Water	Water containing no significant amounts of salts, such as water from RIVERS and LAKES.	Freshwater,Fresh Waters,Freshwaters,Water, Fresh,Waters, Fresh
D000068357	Saline Waters	Water from natural sources which contain significant concentrations of dissolved salts such as sodium chloride.	Brackish Water,Brackish Waters,Saline Water,Water, Brackish,Water, Saline,Waters, Brackish,Waters, Saline
D000327	Adsorption	The adhesion of gases, liquids, or dissolved solids onto a surface. It includes adsorptive phenomena of bacteria and viruses onto surfaces as well. ABSORPTION into the substance may follow but not necessarily.	Adsorptions
D013440	Sulfides	Chemical groups containing the covalent sulfur bonds -S-. The sulfur atom can be bound to inorganic or organic moieties.	Sulfide,Thioether,Thioethers,Sulfur Ethers,Ethers, Sulfur
D042763	Acidithiobacillus	A genus of gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria in the class GAMMAPROTEOBACTERIA. They are obligately acidophilic and aerobic, using reduced SULFUR COMPOUNDS to support AUTOTROPHIC GROWTH.