Bioleaching Microbial Community Metabolism and Composition Driven by Copper Sulphide Mineral Type.

ABSTRACT: Copper bioleaching is a green technology for the recovery of copper from chalcopyrite (CuFeS₂) and chalcocite (Cu₂S) ores. Much remains to be learned about how mineral type and surface chemistry influence microbial community composition. Here, we established a microbial consortium from a copper bioleaching column in Cyprus on chalcopyrite and then sub-cultured it to chalcocite to investigate how the community composition shifts due to changes in mineral structure and the absence of mineral-derived Fe. The solution chemistry was determined and microbial communities characterised by genome-resolved metagenomics after 4 and 8 weeks of cultivation. Acidithiobacillus species and strains, a Rhodospirilales, Leptospirillum ferrodiazotrophum and Thermoplasmatales archaea domi

SUBMITTER: Lane KR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12698208 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature