Abstract
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•First report about biomining potential of A. thiooxidans isolated from bauxite soil.•Biomining conditions (cell 5 × 105, pH 4, 30 °C, and 80 h) for A. thiooxidans optimized.•A. thiooxidans yielded 8.7 of sulfur and 4.2 mg mL−1 of iron from pyrite ore.•26 kDa of sulfur dioxygenase (SDO) extracted from A. thiooxidans.•SDO effectively leached the sulfur into sulfite (4. 9 mg in 30 min of biomining).
Minerals are the most important content for many organisms, including humans. Secondary pollution is produced as a result of chemical-based element extraction. Thus, an eco-friendly approach to extracting elements from various ores is an urgent requirement. Hence, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the biomining potential of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans (pre isolated) and their enzyme involved in the elements solubilization process using the biomining concept. According to the findings, the previously identified A. thiooxidans from bauxite mine tailings have reasonable biomining competence and produced sulfur as a core element and iron as a byproduct from powder for pyrite ore. Under optimal biomining reaction conditions (culture density 5 × 105, pH 4, 30 °C, and 80 h) the A. thiooxidans produced the 8.7 and 4.2 mg mL−1 of sulfur and iron from pyrite ore, respectively. Furthermore, the enzyme responsible for this biomining potential in A. thiooxidans was extracted and identified as sulfur dioxygenase (SDO) with a molecular weight of about 26 kDa using SDS PAGE analysis. Through the oxidation process, the extracted SDO leached the sulfur and produced 4. 9 mg of sulfite after 30 min of biomining. These findings suggested that A. thiooxidans and their intracellular enzyme SDO enzyme could be useful for using in the biomining process on pyrite ore as an environmentally friendly approach.