EXPERIMENTS ON COMBINED ELECTRO AND BACTERIAL LEACHING (Short Communication)

Abstract

The influence of direct current and of current with changing the poles two times per sec at intensities of 0,2...15 mA and at tensions of 12...170 Von leaching of pyrite dispersed in quartzite in percolators with Thiobacillus ferrooxidans was studied. The solution of iron was accelerated by bacteria without current and by current without bacteria, but in combination the acceleration did not exceed the sum of both single effects. The results suggest that there is no direct elec- trophysiological influence of current on bacteria under conditions of our experiments. At present we try to utilize indirect electrochemical effects of current on bacterial leaching of chalcopyrite.