Iron Oxidation and Jarosite Precipitation in a Continuous Two-Stage 70°C Archaeal Bioreactor

Abstract

This study is the first demonstration of a continuous culture bio-catalysed iron oxidation and jarosite precipitation reactor using thermophilic archea, for use in hydrometallurgical process flow sheets. A two-stage continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) system comprised of two CSTRs, each with its own settler, was operated for biological iron oxidation and precipitation at 70°C. The two-stage design was to allow the growth of microorganisms that prefer various redox regimes. The bioreactors were inoculated with a mixed culture of extreme thermophilic iron oxidisers from genera Acidianus, Metallosphaera and Sulfolobus. The influent (pH 1.5) contained (g L-1) 15 Fe2+, 1.5 Cu, 1.5 Ni (all as sulfates), nutrients and trace elements. At a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 6-7 h in each CSTR, the overall iron oxidation rate was 1.0±0.1 g L-1 h-1 and percent 97±2%. The pH values were 1.38±0.16 and 1.57±0.05, and redox potentials (Ag/AgCl reference) were474±47 mV and 575±1 mV, in CSTR1 and CSTR2, respectively. The percentages of influent Fe, Cu and Ni removed as precipitates from settlers were 52%, 0.46% and 0.03%, respectively. The precipitates were comprised of jarosite (100%), potassium jarosite being the dominant form (38-51%), followed by hydronium (30-35%), ammonium (13-18%) and sodium jarosites (6-9%). The precipitates had a sludge volume index of 5.8-19 mL g-1, indicating good settling properties facilitating easy removal through settling. The simultaneous and instantaneous addition of contaminants (g L-1: 2.0 Al, 0.05 As, 0.05 F, 0.2 Co, 5.0 Mg and 0.4 Mn), potentially contained in hydrometallurgical processing streams, into the influent decreased the iron oxidation (50% overall oxidation with HRT of 26-29 h in each CSTR) and jarosite content in precipitates (85-87%). In conclusion, the two-stage high-temperature CSTR system allowed iron oxidation and precipitation of the oxidised iron in the form of well settling jarosite with only minor loss of Cu and Ni via co-precipitation. However, the bioreactor performance was hampered by the introduction of other transition metals, fluoride and arsenic.