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Degradation of Cyanide in Tailings of Zarshuran Gold Processing Pilot Plant,

NW Iran, Mediated by Microorganisms

Conference Paper · November 2019

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 Degradation of Cyanide in Tailings of Zarshuran Gold Processing

Pilot Plant, NW Iran, Mediated by Microorganisms

Soroush Modabberi,1 , Mahsa Tashakor2, Mariah Hamzeh Ghoreyshi1, Mohammad

Ali Amoozegar3

1
School of Geology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran,
modabberi@ut.ac.ir
2
Freelance Researcher, Tehran, Iran, mahsita.mt@gmail.com
3
School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Cyanide is well known as one of the most hazardous compounds with acute and/or
chronic characteristics of toxicity for almost all organisms, yet cyanide is commonly
used in various industries such as gold processing. A large quantities of cyanide is
used to recover gold from ores through the cyanidation process. However, the tailings
generated in this technology contain various levels of cyanide compounds, that their
treatment prior discharging is a perquisite to meet the environmental safe limits.
Several natural, chemical and biological methods of cyanide degradation have been
established for the reduction of cyanide in hazardous leaching wastes/effluents in
compliance with the environmental regulatory requirements. Most of these methods,
nevertheless, are costly, ineffective and complex to operate.
This study applied two species of indigenous microorganisms (Pseudomonas
aeruginosa and Pseudomonas fluorescens) to find an alternative rapid, economic and
efficient method of destruction of cyanide in the tailings of gold recovery in NW Iran.
A pilot plant was established near Zarshuran gold mine in Takab area in NW Iran to
recover gold by cyanidation process. In this study the ores extracted from Barika
Massive Sulfide Deposit in NW Iran were processed in this plant. Tailings were in the
form of a filter cake with grain size of less than 0.45 micrometer, a pH of about 10.3,
with initial cyanide concentration of 138ppm and about 24% of moisture content.
The experiments were conducted at different controlling pH (9 and 10.3) and T (17°C
and 25°C) conditions. At high pH and elevated total cyanide concentrations,
biodegrardation become restricted especially in abrupt discharge shocks due to the
cyanide's toxicity to microorganisms. Reactor was regulated with a shaker to rotate
100 rpm for an optimum mixing of bacteria. A population of 106 CFU/ml of P.
aeruginosa and P. fluorescens were added to 40 ml of distilled water and the tailings
sample.
 The results showed that the temperature is more influential than pH on bacterial
activity. At the pH values of 10.3 and 9, P. aeruginosa is more effective than P.
fluorescens in 25°C, so that after 120hrs and 360hr the cyanide concentration
decreased to 34 and 11, and 16 and 9 ppm respectively. Both species were found to be
more effective at lower pH (9) and higher temperature (25°C).

Keywords: Pseudomonas fluorescens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Cyanide degradation,

Barika gold ore, Zarshuran, biodegradation

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