Browsing by Author "Bryan, C G"
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- ItemRestrictedBiokinetic test for the characterisation of AMD generation potential of sulfide mineral wastes(Elsevier, 2010) Hesketh, A H; Broadhurst J L; Bryan, C G; van Hille, R P; Harrison, S T LAcid mine drainage (AMD) is formed by the microbially catalysed oxidation of sulfide minerals on exposure to moisture and air. It results in the ongoing contamination of water streams with acidity, sulfate and metal ions in solution, limiting subsequent use of the water without its remediation. AMD prevention is a key requirement for meeting mine closure standards and AMD prediction plays an integral role in waste management and AMD prevention. However, both the static and kinetic tests used currently have shortfalls, including only providing a worst case scenario, providing limited kinetic data, particularly with respect to microbial catalysis or requiring an excessive time frame for the provision of useful data. In this study, we review biological tests reported to predict AMD generation potential and propose an extension to these tests in the form of a biokinetic test. The proposed test provides information on the potential and likelihood of acidification upon microbial colonisation as well as the relative kinetics of the acid-consuming and acid-producing reactions. This provides more meaningful data than static tests, within a reasonable timeframe. Experiments performed to evaluate the biokinetic test, using copper sulfide flotation tailings, show results consistent with those of traditional static tests. However, these also provide additional kinetic information that could help to inform management strategies.
- ItemRestrictedThe Effect of CO2 Availability on the Growth, Iron Oxidation and CO2-Fixation Rates of Pure Cultures of Leptospirillum ferriphilum and Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans(Wiley, 2012) Bryan, C G; Davis-Belmar, C S; van Wyk, N; Fraser, M K; Dew, D; Rautenbach, G F; Harrison, S T LUnderstanding how bioleaching systems respond to the availability of CO2 is essential to developing operating conditions that select for optimum microbial performance. Therefore, the effect of inlet gas and associated dissolved CO2 concentration on the growth, iron oxidation and CO2-fixation rates of pure cultures of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Leptospirillum ferriphilum was investigated in a batch stirred tank system. The minimum inlet CO2 concentrations required to promote the growth of At. ferrooxidans and L. ferriphilum were 25 and 70 ppm, respectively, and corresponded to dissolved CO2 concentrations of 0.71 and 1.57 mM (at 308C and 378C, respectively). An actively growing culture of L. ferriphilum was able to maintain growth at inlet CO2 concentrations less than 30 ppm (0.31–0.45 mM in solution). The highest total new cell production and maximum specific growth rates from the stationary phase inocula were observed with CO2 inlet concentrations less than that of air. In contrast, the amount of CO2 fixed per new cell produced increased with increasing inlet CO2 concentrations above 100 ppm. Where inlet gas CO2 concentrations were increased above that of air the additional CO2 was consumed by the organisms but did not lead to increased cell production or significantly increase performance in terms of iron oxidation. It is proposed that At. ferrooxidans has two CO2 uptake mechanisms, a high affinity system operating at low available CO2 concentrations, which is subject to substrate inhibition and a low affinity system operating at higher available CO2 concentrations. L. ferriphilum has a single uptake system characterised by a moderate CO2 affinity. At. ferrooxidans performed better than L. ferriphilum at lower CO2 availabilities, and was less affected by CO2 starvation. Finally, the results demonstrate the limitations of using CO2 uptake or ferrous iron oxidation data as indirect measures of cell growth and performance across varying physiological conditions. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012;109: 1693–1703
- ItemRestrictedMicrobial colonisation in heaps for mineral bioleaching and the influence of irrigation rate(Elsevier, 2012) Chiume, R; Minnaar, S H; Ngoma, I E; Bryan, C G; Harrison, S T LMicrobial colonisation is important for mineral dissolution in heap bioleaching of low grade ore. Colonisation studies to date have focused on the microbial attachment of single species to mineral concentrates in batch and flow systems. Hydrology and soil engineering studies suggest interaction between microbial colonisation and fluid flow in porous systems that result from solution-ore and microbe-mineral contacting (Wan et al., 1994 and Yarwood et al., 2006). The effect of the irrigation rate on microbial colonisation was assessed using columns packed with acid agglomerated low grade copper-containing ore. Continuous flow, unsaturated, aerated bed reactors were inoculated by pulse irrigation with iron and sulphur oxidising mesophilic microorganisms (1012 cells/ton ore), followed by operation at irrigation rates of 2, 6 and 18 l/m2/h. A novel in-bed sampling technique allowed the extraction of ore samples from the bed during the leaching process. Novel insights regarding microbial growth, interstitial and weakly and strongly attached microbial populations were obtained. Bacterial adherence and cell number retained in the ore bed increased over the 32 day leaching period. Average specific growth rates of ore-associated micro-organisms of 0.161 ± 0.0045, 0.155 ± 0.026 and 0.120 (± 0.00) 1/h were obtained at 2, 6 and 18 L/m2/h respectively. Faster colonisation occurred at lower irrigation rates. At higher irrigation rates, higher detachment and cell removal were apparent, based on PLS cell numbers. The interstitial cells from the stagnant fluid in the ore bed formed the dominant contribution to the microbial population within all the heap systems.
- ItemRestrictedModification of the ferric chloride assay for the spectrophotometric determination of ferric and total iron in acidic solutions containing high concentrations of copper(Elsevier, 2012) Govender, E; Harrison, S T L; Bryan, C GDuring heap bioleaching for copper recovery, solution containing high concentrations of copper is recycled to the heaps. The commonly used 1,10-phenanthroline assay is not suitable in such situations; the presence of 6 g L−1 copper in a solution containing 50 mg L−1 ferrous iron resulted in the complete loss of the absorbance band associated with the tris(1,10-phenanthroline)iron(II) complex. The colorimetric determination of soluble ferric iron concentration using the ferric chloride assay is simple and rapid. However, it offers relatively low resolution and cannot be used to determine total iron concentrations. The detection wavelength was changed to improve resolution and the assay further modified to include an oxidation step using potassium persulfate. Therefore, both ferric and total iron concentrations can be determined rapidly using the same aliquot. There was minimal interference of copper (<5% deviation) on the modified assay with copper concentrations of 10 g L−1 and below. At greater copper concentrations the deviation increased. However, a linear relationship between absorbance and ferric iron concentration was maintained for all the solutions tested allowing correction through appropriate calibration.
- ItemRestrictedThe use of pyrite as a source of lixiviant in the bioleaching of electronic waste(Elsevier, 2015) Bryan, C G; Watkin, E L; McCredden, T J; Wong, Z R; Harrison, S T L; Kaksonen, A HElectronic waste (e-waste) contains a wide range of elements, many of which are highly toxic to environmental and human health. On the other hand e-waste represents a significant potential source of valuable metals. This study used microbial oxidation of pyrite to generate a biolixiviant. Its efficiency in the dissolution of metals from printed circuit boards (PCBs) was evaluated as well as the effects of metals and PCB concentrations on microbial activity. The addition of elemental metals (Cu, Cr, Ni, Sn, Zn) had an immediate inhibitory effect on pyrite oxidation, though leaching recovered after a period of adaptation. Bioleaching was inhibited initially by the addition of 1 % (w/v) ground PCB, but recovered rapidly, whereas pulp densities of ≥5 % had sustained negative impacts on culture activity and viability. The loss of culture viability meant that only abiotic copper dissolution occurred at ≥5 % PCB. Final copper recoveries declined with increasing PCB pulp density. The relatively high content of elemental iron caused a lag period in copper solubilisation possibly due to displacement reactions. Leptospirillum ferriphilum was primarily responsible for pyrite oxidation, and most affected by both the pure metals (particularly Ni and Cu) and PCB.