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Sustainability
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Interaction of Microorganisms with Metals and Minerals
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Interaction of Microorganisms with Metals and Minerals

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Waste and Recycling".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 6597

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Eva Pakostova

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Manufacturing and Materials, Institute of Clean Growth and Future Mobility, Coventry University, Coventry CV1 5FB, UK
Interests: biohydrometallurgy; bioleaching; geomicrobiology; microbiology of acidophiles; microbial ecology; resource recovery; metal transformations; remediation; mining wastes; circular economy; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ana Santos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
Interests: biohydrometallurgy; bioleaching; bioremediation; geomicrobiology; microbiology and ecology of acidophiles; mineral waste bioprocessing; sustainability; mine rehabilitation; bioprospecting

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Metals play a crucial role in our everyday lives. A wide range of metals have became indispensable materials, and are used in a wide range of products, objects and applications. Microorganisms and metals are connected via a complex network of interactions. Metals can serve as electron donors and acceptors in microbial metabolism, and act as enzyme co-factors, while microbes catalyze a range of processes that can affect metal speciation, mobility and toxicity. Microbes catalyze redox transformations, as well as the solubilization, precipitation, sorption, and accumulation of metals, thus affecting metal biogeochemical cycling and mineral formation and/or dissolution. Microbial processes have been used in a range of biotechnological applications. For instance, biohydrometallurgy facilitates the recovery of metals from low-grade ores and mining wastes (such as mill tailings), while bioremediation and wastewater treatment mitigate metal pollution and associated negative environmental impacts.

For this Special Issue, we invite contributions on microbe–metal interactions. The articles in this collection demonstrate the complexity of microbial processes involved in metal(loid) transformations, metal–microbe interactions, metal(loid) biogeochemical cycling, and microbiology-based solutions for metal recovery and removal. This Special Issue covers topics including, but not limited to, metal bioleaching and biorecovery, biomineralization, metal resistance, microbial adaption, bioremediation, cell adhesion, biofilms, microbial diversity, metal biotransformations, biogeochemical cycling, sulfide oxidation, sulfate reduction, bioremediation, mine wastewater treatment, metal(loid) biomobilization and immobilization, synthetic biology, industrial microbiology, metal recycling applications and others.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) those listed in the keywords below.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Eva Pakostova
Dr. Ana Santos
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biogeochemistry
  • biohydrometallurgy
  • bioleaching
  • bioprecipitation
  • metal biorecovery
  • bioremediation
  • biosorption
  • metal nanoparticles
  • wastewater treatment
  • metal tolerance

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 10621 KiB  
Article
A Bioleaching Process for Sustainable Recycling of Complex Structures with Multi-Metal Layers
by Eva Pakostova and Anuradha Herath
Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14068; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914068 - 22 Sep 2023
Viewed by 940
Abstract
Industrial waste is accumulating, while primary metal resources are depleting. Bioleaching has been shown to be a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach to metal recovery from waste, but improved designs are needed for large-scale recycling. Metal components that are manufactured by electrodeposition over [...] Read more.
Industrial waste is accumulating, while primary metal resources are depleting. Bioleaching has been shown to be a cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach to metal recovery from waste, but improved designs are needed for large-scale recycling. Metal components that are manufactured by electrodeposition over a mandrel can be difficult to recycle using conventional techniques due to their complex geometry and inner Ag coating. A sustainable biotechnology for separating Cu and Ag from waste electrodeposited components is presented. Two-step bioleaching experiments were performed, during which Cu was solubilized by Fe3+ regenerated by Acidithiobacillus (At.) ferrooxidans CF3 and a consortium of ten acidophilic Fe2+-oxidizers. High Cu recovery rates were achieved in agitated flasks (22 °C, pH 1.9), with At. ferrooxidans solubilizing 94.7% Cu in 78 days and the consortium 99.2% Cu in 59 days. Copper bio-solubilization was significantly accelerated in a laboratory-scale bioreactor (32 °C, 1 L air min−1) using the bacterial consortium adapted to elevated Cu concentrations, reaching >99.6% Cu extraction in only 12 days. The bioreactor was dominated by Leptospirillum and Acidithiobacillus, with their proportions changing (from 83.2 to 59% of total reads and from 3.6 to 29.4%, respectively) during the leaching process. Dissolved Cu was recovered from the bioleachates (containing 14 to 22 g Cu L−1) using electrowinning; >99% of the Cu was deposited (with Cu purity of 98.5 to 99.9%) in 3.33 h (at current efficiency between 80 and 92%). The findings emphasize the importance of a bioleaching system design to achieve economical separation of base and precious metals from industrial wastes. The presented technology minimizes waste generation and energy consumption. On a larger scale, it has the potential to contribute to the development of industrial recycling processes that will protect natural resources and contribute to the Net Zero target. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interaction of Microorganisms with Metals and Minerals)
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11 pages, 1346 KiB  
Article
Overproduction of Efflux Pumps as a Mechanism of Metal and Antibiotic Cross-Resistance in the Natural Environment
by Miroslava Sincak, Katarína Šoltisová, Alena Luptakova and Jana Sedlakova-Kadukova
Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8767; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118767 - 29 May 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 883
Abstract
Antibiotic and metal resistance can occur together in the environment and can be linked by the same detoxication mechanism (cross-resistance). The understanding of this linkage may be a key to further study of the spread of antibiotic resistance in the non-hospital environment worldwide. [...] Read more.
Antibiotic and metal resistance can occur together in the environment and can be linked by the same detoxication mechanism (cross-resistance). The understanding of this linkage may be a key to further study of the spread of antibiotic resistance in the non-hospital environment worldwide. In our study, we examined the overproduction of efflux pumps as a possible mechanism of the cross-resistance of isolates originating from industrial and mine tailings. Resistance to metals (Cu, Ni, Zn and Pb) and antibiotics (ampicillin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline and kanamycin) was observed at all the sampling sites and ranged from 16 to 75%. Multiresistance (MAR index > 0.38) was recorded in 26% of the isolates and was associated with the metal selective pressure duration. Overproduction of efflux pumps has mainly been observed in multiresistant isolates. Our results may indicate that the overproduction of efflux pumps could be the mechanism of cross-resistance between metals and therefore related to metal and antibiotic multiresistance. The results also show that the importance of sustainably storing metal-containing waste lies not only in its environmental impact but also in human health via antibiotic resistance proliferation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interaction of Microorganisms with Metals and Minerals)
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Review

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17 pages, 700 KiB  
Review
Application of a Magnetic Field to Enhance the Environmental Sustainability and Efficiency of Microbial and Plant Biotechnological Processes
by Miroslava Sincak, Alena Luptakova, Ildiko Matusikova, Petr Jandacka and Jana Sedlakova-Kadukova
Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14459; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914459 - 03 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1010
Abstract
Despite the growing prevalence of using living organisms in industry, the control of biotechnological processes remains highly complex and constitutes one of the foremost challenges in these applications. The usage of electromagnetic fields offers a great opportunity to control various biotechnological processes by [...] Read more.
Despite the growing prevalence of using living organisms in industry, the control of biotechnological processes remains highly complex and constitutes one of the foremost challenges in these applications. The usage of electromagnetic fields offers a great opportunity to control various biotechnological processes by alternating growth and cell metabolism without influencing the characteristics of the cultivation medium or the products of the biotechnological process. The investigation of electromagnetic field applications across various industries, including food production, medicine, and pollutant mitigation, has yielded substantial insights. We used the scientific databases PubMed and ScienceDirect to select 103 experimental and theoretical articles that included original results suitable for further investigation. This type of search was repeated with every new relevant article iteratively until no new articles could be detected. Notably, even weak, low-frequency magnetic fields can accelerate the growth of certain organisms, further stabilize the bacterial community in activated sludge within wastewater treatment plants, enhance the fermentation capabilities of both yeast and bacteria, enhance metal bioleaching by the activation of bacterial metabolism, or improve the metal tolerance of plants during the phytoremediation process. Moreover, magnetic fields exhibit a promising sustainable possibility for the better control of biotechnological processes, thus making these processes more competitive compared with the currently used long-term unsustainable extraction of metals. Although with these interesting results, these examples represent highly exceptional applications. Despite these examples, the overall application potential of magnetic fields remains largely unexplored and unknown. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interaction of Microorganisms with Metals and Minerals)
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32 pages, 1826 KiB  
Review
Bioleaching Techniques for Sustainable Recovery of Metals from Solid Matrices
by Leidy Rendón-Castrillón, Margarita Ramírez-Carmona, Carlos Ocampo-López and Luis Gómez-Arroyave
Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10222; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310222 - 28 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3302
Abstract
This review paper explores the potential of bioleaching as a sustainable alternative for recovering metals from solid matrices. With over 12 billion tons of solid waste annually worldwide, bioleaching provides a promising opportunity to extract metals from solid waste, avoiding harmful chemical processes. [...] Read more.
This review paper explores the potential of bioleaching as a sustainable alternative for recovering metals from solid matrices. With over 12 billion tons of solid waste annually worldwide, bioleaching provides a promising opportunity to extract metals from solid waste, avoiding harmful chemical processes. It explains bacterial and fungal bioleaching techniques that extract copper, gold, zinc, and other metals from solid matrices. Fungal bioleaching effectively extracts a wide range of valuable metals, including nickel, vanadium, aluminium, molybdenum, cobalt, iron, manganese, silver, platinum, and palladium. The review highlights different solid matrices with metal contents that have the potential to be recovered by bioleaching, presenting promising bioprocess alternatives to current industrially available technologies for metal recovery. The optimal conditions for bioleaching, including pH, temperature, agitation–aeration, and pulp density are also discussed. The review shows that bioleaching has the potential to play a crucial role in the transition to a more sustainable and circular economy by providing an efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly method for metal recovery from solid matrices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interaction of Microorganisms with Metals and Minerals)
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