Abstract
Investigating the microbial community of the Sishen Iron-Ore Mine in South Africa has become a topic of interest. Microorganisms could prove to be useful in bioleaching processes, resulting in the minimisation of the negative impact that certain substances, such as phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), have on the economic functioning of the mine. The objective of this investigation was, therefore, to determine which micro-organisms were indigenously present in the process- and groundwater systems of the mine. Groundwater samples and three different process water samples were collected from the mine, followed by chemical- and microbial community analyses. Microbial inhibition was observed in all the process water samples due to the relatively high levels of copper, chromium and zinc present. Aeromonas hydrophila proved to be the dominant bacterial species in all the process water samples, whereas Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Herbaspirillum spp. were observed in the groundwater of the mine. None of the isolated micro-organisms have been implicated in bioleaching practices, and therefore these organisms will not be included as candidates for the removal of P and K from the iron-ore of the Sishen Iron-Ore Mine.
Highlights
The depletion of high-quality iron-ore (>60% Fe;
The water collected from the process dam contained lower concentrations of copper (0.29 mg·l-1), chromium (0.20 mg·l-1) and zinc (0.31 mg·l-1), compared to the water flowing to the slimes dam, while it contained the highest concentrations of ammonium (0.39 mg·l-1), hydrogen sulphide (0.41 mg·l-1), phosphorus (3.4 mg·l-1), free chlorine (0.8 mg·l-1), fluoride (0.97 mg·l-1), iron (0.66 mg·l-1) and manganese (1.3 mg·l-1), as well as high levels of nitrates (>90.0 mg·l-1) and nitrites (>3.0 mg·l-1)
These results indicate that the slimes dam is functioning properly by precipitating elements such as copper, chromium, iron, manganese and zinc
Summary
The depletion of high-quality iron-ore (>60% Fe;
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