This article addresses the state of the art of bioleaching research published in South Korean Journals. Our research team reviewed the available articles registered in the Korean Citation Index (KCI, Korean Journal Database) addressing the relevant aspects of bioleaching. We systematically categorized the target metal sources as follows: mine tailings, electronic waste, mineral ores and metal concentrates, spent catalysts, contaminated soil, and other materials. Molecular studies were also addressed in this review. The classification provided in the present manuscript details information about microbial species, parameters of operation (e.g., temperature, particle size, pH, and process length), and target metals to compare recoveries among the bioleaching processes. The findings show an increasing interest in the technology from research institutes and mineral processing-related companies over the last decade. The current research trends demonstrate that investigations are mainly focused on determining the optimum parameters of operations for different techniques and minor applications at the industrial scale, which opens the opportunity for greater technological developments. An overview of bioleaching of each metal substrate and opportunities for future research development are also included.

The aim of this study was to investigate the microbial colonization and arsenic leaching kinetics of South Korean mine tailings containing arsenopyrite at fixed temperatures (20°C, 30°C and 45°C) and at ramped up temperatures (25 to 45°C, with a 2°C daily increase). The experiments were conducted in a packed bed of inert granite pebbles coated with the tailings material and leached with a mesophilic culture dominated by Acidithiobacillus caldus (56%), a lesser percentage of Leptospirillum ferriphilum (29%) and Archaea (15%), using 1 g/L ferrous-enriched 0K medium. The ramped-up temperature experiment was conducted in triplicate and columns were sacrificed after different leach periods to study the evolution of microbial species dominating the colonization. The leaching performance was evaluated using the arsenic released into solution, the iron oxidation rates, the pH and the redox potential. The microbial speciation of the culture attached to the solids during the leach experiment was determined upon completion of each experiment. A steady arsenic solubilisation of between 94 and 97% was observed among the various column experiment after 88 days post inoculation. Microbial speciation performed following the leaching of the mineral indicated a shift of microbial communities in the columns when compared to the initial inoculum.