Effect of Increased Acid Concentration on the Microbial Population Inhabiting an Industrial Heap Bioleaching Plant

Abstract

The material treated in the industrial heap bioleaching plant at Escondida Mine includes sulfide, oxide and mixtures of run of mine ore (ROM) with 5% of total copper average grade. The design of the heap considers seven lifts of eighteen meters height each. Nowadays, the heap is being operated with ore loaded in the second and third lifts. The amount of acid required for the process can be increased by increasing the height of the heap and also by the characteristics of the ore. This effect can be attributed to the increase of contact time between ore and solution. The goal of this work was to assess the effect of using raffinate solution with elevated concentration of acid on a microbial culture obtained from process solutions. Reactor tests of culture grown in industrial raffinate solution were performed and DNA and RNA were extracted for qPCR and RT-qPCR analyses, respectively. A design of experiment (DOE) was considered to determine the number of replicates in order to assess the effect of two concentrations of sulfate (80 and 100 g/L) and two incubation temperatures (30 and 45 °C). In addition, analysis of the Most Probable Number (MPN) of iron and sulfur oxidizing organisms and oxidation tests were used to determine the microbial activity in the tests. The results obtained from the DOE showed that acid, temperature and the interaction of temperature and energy source had a significant effect on the microbial activity. Both iron and sulfur oxidizing activities decreased when acid was added at elevated concentration. By other hand, molecular analyses showed differences in levels of specific concentrations of microorganisms and the expression of 16S rRNA gene of the different species thriving in the culture tests.