Journal of Manufacturing Innovations

Journal of Manufacturing Innovations

Reduction of Hematite to Magnetite by Bacterial Transformation Process

Document Type : Research Article

Authors
1 School of Mining, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2 Nano Bio Earth Department, Applied Research Centre of Geological Survey of Iran
Abstract
In this paper, two bacterial strains, namely W1b and W2, were isolated and identified from the tailings of Chadormalu iron ore mine. Both bacterial strains exhibited a remarkable ability to significantly increase the pH and regenerate the culture medium. This is particularly noteworthy given the challenging environmental conditions inherent to mine tailings. Based on the duration of bacterial activity, W1b and W2 were both able to maintain iron reduction conditions for 7 and 4 days, respectively, under similar conditions. With an initial amount of magnetite of 4.59%, through an examination of the granulation dimensions, it was found that smaller granulation dimensions and finer particles lead to an increase in the contact surface area, subsequently to an increase in magnetite recovery. The enhancement of contact surface area is crucial for optimizing the efficiency of biotechnological processes in mineral recovery. Based on the analysis results, it was determined that W1b bacteria exhibited the highest conversion efficiency of hematite to magnetite, achieving a significant 22% conversion in the Lb culture medium. Furthermore, W1b bacteria maintained alkaline environmental conditions and demonstrated regenerating properties, which are essential for sustainable bioremediation processes. The study indicates potential applications of these bacterial strains in the field of bioleaching and mineral processing, where improving recovery rates and maintaining stable conditions are of paramount importance.
Keywords
Subjects

  • Receive Date 13 June 2024
  • Revise Date 14 September 2024
  • Accept Date 20 September 2024