Copper resistance, motility and the mineral dissolution behavior were assessed as novel factors involved in bacterial adhesion in bioleaching

A study was carried out on the adhesion to sulfide minerals of chemolithoautotrophic acidophilic bacteria obtained from industrial copper bioleaching operation. For this purpose, a mixed culture obtained from an industrial process and two metabolically different pure strains of Acidithiobacillus: A. ferrooxidans and A. ferridurans were used. These microorganisms showed significant differences in adhesion with respect to pyrite and chalcocite in terms of the temporal dynamics patterns and preference. A complex dynamics that involve cycles of attachment and detachment can only be explained by considering both, the intrinsic characteristics of the microorganisms, such as hydrophobicity, resistance and motility, and the properties of each mineral like their hydrophobicity, dissolution behavior and ionic contribution.