Abstract
Bioleaching of aluminium mineral boehmite by filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger was compared to chemical leaching by citric, oxalic and hydrochloric acids to evaluate the significance of A. niger’s metabolites on aluminium mobilization from this natural component of the aluminium ore. Our results highlighted that leaching efficiency of hydrochloric acid at pH 2 was 2.7 times lower compared to fungal bioleaching efficiency. When the organic acids were compared, oxalic acid was a stronger aluminium leaching agent than citric acid. The results suggest that fungal metabolites significantly promoted the release of aluminium and that their acidic properties, despite being useful, were not the most critical factor in the bioleaching of aluminium.
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