2011•Applied and Environmental MicrobiologyOpen access

Spatial and Temporal Analysis of the Microbial Community in the Tailings of a Pb-Zn Mine Generating Acidic Drainage

Li‐Nan Huang, Wenhua Zhou, Kevin B. Hallberg, Cai-Yun Wan, Jie Li, Wensheng Shu

Abstract

Analysis of spatial and temporal variations in the microbial community in the abandoned tailings impoundment of a Pb-Zn mine revealed distinct microbial populations associated with the different oxidation stages of the tailings. Although Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Leptospirillum spp. were consistently present in the acidic tailings, acidophilic archaea, mostly Ferroplasma acidiphilum, were predominant in the oxidized zones and the oxidation front, indicating their importance to generation of acid mine drainage.

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Key concepts: Tailings, Acid mine drainage, Archaea, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Microbial population biology, Environmental chemistry, Environmental science, Acidithiobacillus