A study from researchers at Linnaeus University in Kalmar has characterized bacteria active in bioengineered environments set-up to decontaminate waste from the industrial process extracting metals from sulfide ores.The study was enabled by sequencing at the SciLifeLab National Genomics Infrastructure (NGI).
When wastes from such sulfide mineral processing are exposed to water and oxygen they can oxidize and form acid mine drainage, which is characterized by extreme acidity and high metal content, which will distress the fauna and flora and damage the environment disastrously if released untreated. The present study provides new insights in metabolic capabilities of acidophilic microorganisms and their lifestyle in an engineered environment and elucidates the biological functions of possible future industrial-scale applications for remediating mining wastewater.