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Copper Biomining Heap Leach Consortium

Ecological State ENGINEERED
Environment mine tailing
ENVO:00000072
Source File Copper_Biomining_Heap_Leach.yaml

An industrial microbial consortium used for commercial copper bioleaching from low-grade sulfide ores in heap leach operations. This acidophilic community oxidizes ferrous iron and reduced sulfur compounds, generating ferric iron (Fe³⁺) and sulfuric acid that solubilize copper from chalcopyrite (CuFeS₂) and other copper sulfide minerals. The consortium demonstrates temporal succession over the 200-300 day leaching cycle, with Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans dominating early stages (pH >2, low Fe, ~10⁷ copies/ml at 200 days), followed by Leptospirillum ferriphilum and Ferroplasma acidiphilum in aged heaps (pH 1.67-1.83, high Fe³⁺ ~1.9 g/L, ~10⁵ copies/ml at >250 days). Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans maintains constant sulfur oxidation activity (10⁵ copies/ml) throughout the cycle. Sulfobacillus species contribute at low abundance (10³-10⁴ copies/ml) with increased activity in older heaps. The community operates at pH 1.5-2.5, temperatures 20-60°C depending on thermophilic strains, and produces the Fe³⁺ oxidant critical for copper dissolution (reaching 1.86-1.9 g/L Fe³⁺). This biohydrometallurgical process extracts copper from ores uneconomical for conventional smelting, with industrial operations achieving commercial-scale metal recovery through percolation of acidic leach solutions through heaps of crushed ore.

Taxonomy

Taxon Ontology ID Functional Roles Abundance
Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans NCBITaxon:920
PRIMARY_PRODUCER PRIMARY_DEGRADER
DOMINANT
Leptospirillum ferriphilum NCBITaxon:178606
PRIMARY_PRODUCER PRIMARY_DEGRADER
DOMINANT
Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans NCBITaxon:930
PRIMARY_DEGRADER
ABUNDANT
Ferroplasma acidiphilum NCBITaxon:74969
PRIMARY_PRODUCER
ABUNDANT
Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans NCBITaxon:28034
PRIMARY_DEGRADER SYNTROPHIC_PARTNER
RARE

Ecological Interactions

Ferrous Iron Oxidation in Early Heaps

CROSS_FEEDING

Source Taxon: Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

Metabolites: Fe(II) (CHEBI:29033), Fe(III) (CHEBI:29034)

Biological Processes:

Downstream Effects:
→ Copper Sulfide Dissolution

Evidence

  • "Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans kept constant throughout the leaching cycle, and Firmicutes group showed a low and a patchy distribution in the heap"
  • doi:10.3389/fmicb.2022.820052 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "Here Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans , Leptospirillum ferrooxidans , and Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans were selected to perform bioleaching of chalcopyrite waste rock in the presence of the SX reagent (2.5% v/v LIX984N in kerosene)"

Ferrous Iron Oxidation in Aged Heaps

CROSS_FEEDING

Source Taxon: Leptospirillum ferriphilum

Metabolites: Fe(II) (CHEBI:29033), Fe(III) (CHEBI:29034)

Biological Processes:

Downstream Effects:
→ Copper Sulfide Dissolution

Evidence

  • "However, the prokaryotic acidophile microarray (PAM) analysis showed active members of Alphaproteobacteria in all samples and of Sulfobacillus genus in older ones"
  • "Older strips showed pH dropping to 1.67-1.83 with elevated Fe³⁺ concentrations (1.86-1.9 g/l)"

Sulfur Oxidation to Sulfuric Acid

MUTUALISM

Source Taxon: Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans

Metabolites: sulfur (CHEBI:26833), sulfuric acid (CHEBI:26836)

Biological Processes:

Evidence

  • "Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans kept constant throughout the leaching cycle, and Firmicutes group showed a low and a patchy distribution in the heap"
  • doi:10.3389/fmicb.2022.820052 - SUPPORT (IN_VITRO)
    "thermosulfidooxidans preferred to oxidize reduced inorganic sulfur compounds."

Copper Sulfide Dissolution

MUTUALISM

Metabolites: chalcopyrite (CHEBI:50885), copper(2+) (CHEBI:29036), Fe(III) (CHEBI:29034), Fe(II) (CHEBI:29033)

Biological Processes:

Downstream Effects:
→ Ferrous Iron Oxidation in Early Heaps

Evidence

  • doi:10.3389/fmicb.2022.820052 - SUPPORT (IN_VIVO)
    "Heap bioleaching, the solubilization of metal ions from metal sulfides by microbial oxidation, is often combined with solvent extraction (SX) and electrowinning to recover, e.g., copper from low-grade ores"

Thermophilic Iron and Sulfur Oxidation

SYNTROPHY

Source Taxon: Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans

Metabolites: Fe(II) (CHEBI:29033), Fe(III) (CHEBI:29034), sulfur (CHEBI:26833)

Biological Processes:

Evidence

  • "Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans kept constant throughout the leaching cycle, and Firmicutes group showed a low and a patchy distribution in the heap"

Environmental Factors

Factor Value Unit
pH Gradient Across Heap Age 1.67-2.5 pH units
Temperature Range 20-60 °C
Ferric Iron Concentration 1.86-1.9 g/L
Heap Age and Succession 0-300 days
Oxygen Availability Aerobic with microaerobic zones qualitative