Effects of heap-bioleaching plant on physicochemical index and microbial community of the nearby river

The Zijinshan heap-bioleaching plant started the operation by the end of 2005, since a river named Ting River near the heap-bioleaching system, there was raising concern about the acidophiles and metal ion migration into this river. In this research, 72 liquid samples and 9 ore heap samples were collected, the distribution of acidophiles in Ting River were investigated by clone libraries, two key acidophiles included genus Acidithiobacillus, Leptospirillum were assayed by real-time polymerase chain reaction, and physicochemical characteristics of the samples were analyzed. The clone libraries results showed that 1291 OTUs were got from 3669 sequences, and these 1291 OTUs belonged to 16 phyla and 166 genera. There was more community structure similar between the samples of 2012 year and 2013 year. The detected bioleaching microorganisms emerged the obvious changing trend of increasing in the period 2009 to 2012, and emerged the decreasing trend in the period 2012 to 2013 on whole. During the period 2009 to 2013, the dissolved copper emerged the decreasing trend, but the dissolved iron emerged the increased trend on the whole. The changes trend of dissolved copper and iron did not relate with the bioleaching microbes.