RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Selective metal extraction by biologically produced siderophores during bioleaching from low-grade primary and secondary mineral resources
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2021.01.15.426802
DO 10.1101/2021.01.15.426802
A1 Adam J. Williamson
A1 Karel Folens
A1 Sandra Matthijs
A1 Yensy Paz Cortez
A1 Jeet Varia
A1 Gijs Du Laing
A1 Nico Boon
A1 Tom Hennebel
YR 2021
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/01/17/2021.01.15.426802.abstract
AB Siderophores are a class of biogenic macromolecules that have high affinities for metals in the environment, thus could be exploited for alternate sustainable metal recovery technologies. Here, we assess the role of siderophores in the extraction and complexation of metals from an iron oxide-rich metallurgical processing residue and a low-grade primary Ni ore. Evaluation of the biological siderophore bioproduction by three pseudomonads, P. fluorescens, P. azotoformans and P. putida identified that P. putida could generate the highest siderophore yield, which was characterized as a hydroxamate and catecholate mixed-type pyoverdine PyoPpC-3B. Key physiochemical parameters involved in raw siderophore mediated metal extraction were identified using a fractional factorial design of experiments (DOE) and subsequently employed in purified PyoPpC-3B leaching experiments. Further targeted experiments with hydroxamate and catecholate functional analogues of PyoPpC-3B confirmed their marked ability to competitively or selectively leach and chelate hard metal ions, including Al(OH)4-, Mn2+ and Zn2+. Interestingly, complexation of Mn and Zn ions exceeded the natural affinity of pyoverdine for Fe3+, thus despite the low metal recoveries from the materials tested in this study, this work provides important new insights in siderophore-metal interactions.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.