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The percolation biooxidation parameters of ore from the Bakyrchik deposit were studied. An investigation of the technological parameters (such as the concentration of leaching agents, irrigation intensity, and pauses at various stages of the leaching) revealed the optimal mode for precious metal extraction. The stages of the ore processing were biooxidation, gold extraction by cyanidation or thiosulfate leaching, and biological destruction of cyanide. The gold and silver recovery rates by cyanidation were 64.0 and 57.3%, respectively. The gold and silver recovery rates by thiosulfate leaching were 64.0 and 57.3%, respectively. Gold and silver recovery rates from unoxidized ore (control experiment) by cyanidation were 20.9 and 26.8%, respectively. Thiosulfate leaching of unoxidized ore allowed the extraction of 38.8 and 24.2% of the gold and silver, respectively. Cyanidation residues were treated with bacteria of the genus Alcaligenes in order to destruct cyanide.

In the present work it was shown that biosynthesis of silver sulfide nanoparticles from silver nitrate and sodium thiosulfate solutions of millimolar concentration occurs efficiently by living Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 cells, as well as by ultrasonically-disrupted cells and by the membrane fraction of the cells. The size of nanoparticles synthesized in the presence of living cells was 7.8 ± 1.5 nm, while in the presence of ultrasonically-disrupted cells--it was 6.52 nm. The shape of nanoparticles in both cases was close to spherical. It was also shown, that synthesis of nanoparticles occurs in a cell-free solution of sodium thiosulfate that has been incubated with cells previously and to which then a silver nitrate solution was added. In this case the nanoparticles were of elongated shape and their size was (11 ± 4) x (24 ± 6) nm. In the control experiment, when only silver nitrate and sodium thiosulfate solutions not incubated with cells were used, the nanoparticles were not detected. It was shown that biosynthesis of nanoparticles occurs both in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Nanoparticles are not formed by using thermally inactivated cells as it was shown by us previously. The results show the important role of the native structures of cells for the nanoparticles formation.

Aboriginal and experimental (constructed of pure microbial cultures) communities of acidophilic chemolithotrophs have been studied. The oxidation of elemental sulfur, sodium thiosulfate, and potassium tetrathionate as sole sources of energy has been monitored. The oxidation rate of the experimental community is higher as compared to the aboriginal community isolated from a flotation concentrate of pyrrhotine-containing pyrite-arsenopyrite gold-arsenic sulfide ore. The degree of oxidation of the mentioned S substrates amounts to 17.91, 68.30, and 93.94% for the experimental microbial community and to 10.71, 56.03, and 79.50% for the aboriginal community, respectively. The degree of oxidation of sulfur sulfide forms in the ore flotation concentrate is 59.15% by the aboriginal microbial community and 49.40% by the experimental microbial community. Despite a higher rate of oxidation of S substrates as a sole source of energy by the experimental microbial community, the aboriginal community oxidizes S substrates at a higher rate in the flotation concentrate of pyrrhotine-containing pyrite-arsenopyrite gold-arsenic sulfide ore, from which it was isolated. Bacterial-chemical oxidation of the flotation concentrate by the aboriginal microbial community allows for the extraction of an additional 32.3% of gold from sulfide minerals, which is by 5.7% larger compared to the yield obtained by the experimental microbial community.

The functional role of tetrameric and dimeric isoforms of malate dehydrogenase in the carbon metabolism of the colorless sulfur bacterium Beggiatoa leptomitiformis, strain D-402, was studied. This strain can grow both lithotrophically and organotrophically. By using the inhibition analysis, the tetrameric isoenzyme was shown to operate in the glyoxylate cycle and the dimeric one was found to be involved in the TCA cycle. The dynamics of the dimeric isoenzyme conversion to the tetrameric isoform was found to be determined by the rate of thiosulfate oxidation. The regulation of the carbon metabolism in Beggiatoa leptomitiformis is supposed to be accomplished by means of structural and functional changes in the protein molecule of malate dehydrogenase.

A new purple sulfur bacterium (strain M9) was isolated from the steppe soda Lake Dzun Uldziin Nur (pH 9.4; mineralization, 3.3%) situated in southeastern Mongolia. Individual cells appear as vibrios 0.3-0.5 x 0.7-1 micron in size. The dividing cells often do not separate from each other, forming an almost closed ring. The internal photosynthetic membranes are represented by concentric lamellae lining the cell wall. Photosynthetic pigments are bacteriochlorophyll a and carotenoids of the spirilloxanthin series. The main carotenoid (> 96%) is spirilloxanthin. Two typical light-harvesting complexes (LH1 and LH2) are present in the membranes in a 1:1 ratio. The bacterium is an anaerobe and facultative photoorganoheterotroph. Photolithoautotrophic growth on sulfide is scarce. Thiosulfate is utilized as an electron donor only in the presence of organic matter. Globules of elemental sulfur are formed as an intermediary product of sulfide and thiosulfate oxidation and are deposited outside the cells. The end product of oxidation is sulfate. In the presence of sulfide and carbonates, acetate, lactate, malate, pyruvate, propionate, succinate, and fumarate are used as the additional sources of carbon in anoxygenic photosynthesis. Vitamin are not required. The bacterium is an alkaliphile the pH optimum is at 8.3-9.1, the pH range is 7.6-10.1. The optimum NaCl concentration in the medium is 1 to 7%; the range is 0.5 to 0.9%. The optimum carbonate content in the medium is 2%; the range is 1 to 10%. The best growth occurs at 30-35 degrees C. The DNA G + C content is 57.5 mol%. According to the results of analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences, the new isolate M9 belongs to the phylogenetic cluster containing representatives of the family Ectothiorhodospiraceae within the class "Gammaproteobacteria." In this class, the new isolate forms a new branch, which occupies an intermediate position between the representatives of the genera Ectothiorhodospira and Thiorhodospira. Based on the phenotypic and genetic characteristics, the new purple sulfurbacterium was assigned to a new species of a new genus of the family Ectothiorhodospiraceae, Ectothiorhodosinus mongolicum gen. nov., sp. nov.

New data obtained by the author and other researchers on two different groups of obligately heterotrophic bacteria capable of inorganic sulfur oxidation are reviewed. Among culturable marine and (halo)alkaliphilic heterotrophs oxidizing sulfur compounds (thiosulfate and, much less actively, elemental sulfur and sulfide) incompletely to tetrathionate, representatives of the gammaproteobacteria, especially from the Halomonas group, dominate. Some of denitrifying species from this group are able to carry out anaerobic oxidation of thiosulfate and sulfide using nitrogen oxides as electron acceptors. Despite the low energy output of the reaction of thiosulfate oxidation to tetrathionate, it can be utilized for ATP synthesis by some tetrathionate-producing heterotrophs; however, this potential is not always realized during their growth. Another group of marine and (halo)alkaliphilic heterotrophic bacteria capable of complete oxidation of sulfur compounds to sulfate mostly includes representatives of the alphaproteobacteria most closely related to nonsulfur purple bacteria. They can oxidize sulfide (polysulfide), thiosulfate, and elemental sulfur via sulfite to sulfate but neither produce nor oxidize tetrathionate. All of the investigated sulfate-forming heterotrophic bacteria belong to lithoheterotrophs, being able to gain additional energy from the oxidation of sulfur compounds during heterotrophic growth on organic substrates. Some doubtful cases of heterotrophic sulfur oxidation described in the literature are also discussed.