Abstract—A study of the effect of different variables (Ag
+ concentration, pulp density, pH, inoculation, Fe
3+ concentration) on the silver-catalyzed bioleaching of arsenopyrite by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans NSJ209 strains has been carried out in shake flasks. Results showed: Ag
+ has catalytic effect on arsenopyrite bioleaching. Especially, with the presence of Fe
3+, the catalytic effect is even better. When the Ag
+ concentration is 2mg/L; the pulp density is 2%; the pH is 2.0; after leaching for 16 days, the arsenic leaching rate is improved about 23.14% compared with leaching rate when Ag+ is not added. However, high concentrations of Ag
+ will affect the bacterial growth and activity, resulting in a decline of the leaching rate.
Index Terms—Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, arsenic-containing gold concentrate, silver-catalyzed, bioleaching, arsenopyrite.
Fang Fang and Xuehui Zhan are with the College of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha, China (e-mail: lgdx08@sina.com).
Fang Fang and Hong Zhong are with School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, China. They are also in the Key Laboratory of Resources Chemical of Nonferrous Metals, Ministry of Education,Central South University, Changsha, China.
Fangming Jiang is with the Hunan Exit-Entry Inspection and Quarantione Bureau, Changsha, China.
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Cite: Fang Fang, Hong Zhong, Fangming Jiang, and Xuehui Zhan, "Catalytic Effect of Silver on Bioleaching of Arsenopyrite," International Journal of Chemical Engineering and Applications vol. 5, no. 6, pp. 474-478, 2014.
