Biogeographical distribution of acidophiles and their effects around the Zijinshan heap bioleaching plant

In this study, 53 soil samples and 58 liquid samples were collected, and the biogeographical distribution of acidophiles around the Zijin heap bioleaching plant was investigated using clone libraries. Four key acidophiles, including the genera of Acidithiobacillus, Leptospirillum, Ferroplasma and Sulfobacillus were assayed by real-time PCR, and the physicochemical characteristics of the samples were also analyzed.

The results grouped 2654 sequences from 6 clone libraries into 611 OTUs with a distance level of 3%. All of the 611 OTUs belonged to 127 genera; Acidithiobacillus, Leptospirillum, Undibacterium, Gp1 and Gp2 were the five most represented genera. The results of shared species analysis detected only one bioleaching microorganism (Acidithiobacillus) in the liquid samples, and no bioleaching microorganisms were detected in the other surrounding environments.