Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans strain Cutipay Enhances Chalcopyrite Bioleaching under Moderate Thermophilic Conditions in the presence of Chloride ion

摘要

Currently more than 90% of world's copper is obtained through sulfide mineral processing. Among the copper sulfides, chalcopyrite is the most abundant and therefore economically more relevant, though averse to chemical leaching. In this work we describe the chalcopyrite bioleaching capacity of Sulfobacillus thermosulfidooxidans strain Cutipay (DSM 27601) previously described with novel resistance capacities at the genomic level (Travisany et al., 2012). Bioleaching assays with the mixotrophic strain Cutipay showed a strong increase in copper recovery from chalcopyrite concentrate at 50 °C in the presence of chloride ion, a relevant inhibitory element present in water-scarce bioleaching processes. When compared to the abiotic control and an assay with the collection strain Sb. acidophilus DSM 10332, strain Cutipay showed an increment of 41 and 72% in copper recovery, respectively, demonstrating its high potential for chalcopyrite bioleaching. This novel and industrially applicable strain is under patent application CL 2013-03335.