Attachment of L. ferrooxidans to Pyrite Mineral Surfaces

L. ferrooxidans and their metabolic products have been explored as viable flotation reagents of pyrite and chalcopyrite for froth flotation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and captive bubble contact angle measurements have been used to examine the surface physicochemical properties of pyrite upon exposure to L. ferrooxidans grown in HH medium at pH 1.8. C K-edge NEXAFS spectra, collected using scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM), indicate hydrophilic lipids, fatty acids, and biopolymers are formed at the mineral-bacterium interface within hours of exposure. The Fe L-edge NEXAFS show oxidation of the mineral surface from Fe (II) sulfide to Fe (III) oxyhydroxides. The leaching of the iron species at the pyrite surface is accelerated in the presence of L. ferrooxidans and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) as compared to HH medium controls, as shown by ToF-SIMS. The surface chemical changes induced by the interaction with L. ferrooxidans show a significant decrease in surface hydrophobicity within the first 2 h of exposure. The implications of these findings are the potential use of EPS, produced during early attachment of L. ferrooxidans, as a depressant for bioflotation or to enhance bioleaching.