Occurrence of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans in uranium mine-Caldas uranium mining and extraction plant, Brazil (CUMEP)

The sulfated minerals present in mining areas may cause serious environmental problems due to the action of chemolithotrophic bacteria from genus Acithiobacillus, represented mainly by Acithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Acithiobacillus thiooxidans. These microorganisms are able to oxidize mineral sulfates, elementary sulfur and ferrous ion (A. ferrooxidans), as well are capable of mobilizing radionuclide as uranium to the environment. In this context, this study aimed at investigating the occurrence and the fluctuation of A. ferrooxidans and A. thiooxidans populations within the mine effluents, tailing dam and waste rocks of the Caldas Uranium Mining arid Extraction Plant (CUMEP) in Minas Gerais State - Brazil. Samples from 16 sites were evenly taken monthly in the CUMEP, during 28 months. The oxi-reduction potential, pH and temperature values were determined at the Radioecology Laboratory. The Most Probable Number technique was applied using a series of five tubes for selective counting of A. ferrooxidans and A. thiooxidans. Each sample was submitted to serial dilutions using Tween 80 and sterilized water (pH=2.0) and subsequently transferred into assay tubes containing T and K with ferrous ion and also elementary sulfur, as energy source, for detection of A. ferrooxidans and A. thiooxidans, respectively. Populations of A. ferrooxidans and A. thiooxidans presented seasonal quantitative fluctuations at the different studied sites. A. ferrooxidans showed higher or equal frequency to that observed for A. thiooxidans; as consequence, they were considered the predominant bacteria in this environment. In the majority of the sites, the highest values for the frequency and counting of A. ferrooxidans and A. thiooxidans were observed during the rainy period (October to March). The relative seasonal behavior when several variables are evaluated simultaneously indicated that, due to the high values of oxi-reduction potential, the low values of pH, the detection of the highest percentages of incidence and highest values of A. ferrooxidans and A. thiooxidans counting observed in the sites 0.75, BIA, PM, WR4, WR8 and BE, we can consider these sites as the main locations of acid drainage occurrence and bioleaching bacteria action in the CUMEP. Thus, highest priority should be taking into account for decommission measures, once these critical sites are considered as hot spot. The main isolates from these areas are being identified by conventional microbiological methods and by cloning and sequencing their 16S rRNA genes.