Abstract
Bacteria belonging to the Acidithiobacilli group are widely used in the mineral processing industry in bioleaching and biobeneficiation operations. Paenibacillus polymyxa has also found application in biobeneficiation studies. Microbial adhesion to mineral surface is an essential step,for both biobeneficiation and bioleaching. Microbial adhesion depends on the physico-chemical characteristics of both the mineral and microbe. In the present study, physico-chemical characterization of the surface of iron-oxidizing bacteria grown with Fe ions and elemental S, Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and Paenibacillus polymyxa were carried out. Surface hydrophobicity was evaluated using microbial adhesion-to-solvents test, contact angle measurement and surface energy evaluation. The surface composition of the bacterial cell surfaces was determined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and diffused reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 31-37 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Minerals & metallurgical processing |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - Feb-2005 |
Keywords
- bioleaching
- biobeneficiation
- bacteria
- suface characterization
- THIOBACILLUS-FERROOXIDANS
- PAENIBACILLUS-POLYMYXA
- SULFUR CHEMISTRY
- MICROBIAL-CELLS
- ADHESION
- PYRITE
- FLOTATION
- IRON
- HYDROPHOBICITY
- BENEFICIATION