Additions of Pyrite or Chalcopyrite Alters the Microbial Community Diversity, Composition and Function in Sphalerite Bioleaching Systems

Extraction of zinc from sphalerite using bio-hydrometallurgical technologies has become more and more popular. This study used an artificial microbial community with five known microorganisms to examine the relationship among microbial diversity, composition, and function (e.g., zinc extraction rates) in sphalerite bioleaching systems with additional pyrite (SP), chalcopyrite (SC), or both (SPC). Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis showed that additional pyrite or chalcopyrite changed the microbial community composition dramatically during the sphalerite bioleaching process. Shannon diversity index, compared with Sphalerite (0.109), showed an increase in SP (0.508), SC (0.536) and SPC (0.289) on day 30, and zinc extraction rates were enhanced by about 12.1%, 4.3% and 9.47%, respectively. Also, additional pyrite or chalcopyrite made ORP and the concentrations of Fe3+, Zn2+ and H+ increased, which were the main factors on shaping the microbial community composition by Mantel test analysis. We developed a unitary model, showing that additional pyrite or chalcopyrite increased the microbial community diversity.