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Heavy metal removal from coal fly ash under alkaline conditions by indigenous bacteria isolated from a coal ash dumpsite
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1
Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jl. Ganesha No. 10, Bandung, Indonesia
 
2
Faculty of Infrastructure and Regional Technology, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, Jl. Terusan Ryacudu Way Hui, South Lampung, Indonesia
 
 
Corresponding author
Edwan Kardena   

Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jl. Ganesha No. 10, Bandung, Indonesia
 
 
J. Ecol. Eng. 2025; 26(4):83-97
 
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ABSTRACT
Bioleaching is a process that uses microorganisms to remove heavy metals from waste materials such as fly ash, electronic waste, low-grade ores, mine tailing, spent catalysts, and others. . Exploring indigenous bacteria from contaminated environments was carried out to find promising bacteria for heavy metal bioleaching and investigates the mechanisms involved. The bacteria were identified at the genomic level to determine their species. A series of bioleaching experiments were conducted to assess the impact of pulp density on the removal of heavy metals from fly ash using two bacterial species. The bioleaching efficiency, bacterial population, and other parameters were measured to analyze the bioleaching mechanisms. The results revealed that the two bacterial isolates were identified as Bacillus toyonensis and Bacillus tropicus. The addition of 5% (w/v) fly ash resulted in the highest bioleaching efficiency for copper, zinc, chromium, and nickel. Bacillus toyonensis demonstrated the highest bioleaching efficiency, with 63.62% for copper, 79.38% for zinc, 60.42% for chromium, and 52.26% for nickel. The bioleaching process occurred in an alkaline medium, as the pH shifted from neutral to alkaline over the course of the process. In conclusion, the two Bacillus species effectively bioleached heavy metals from fly ash through biosorption, complexolysis, and redoxolysis mechanisms, similar to others like heterotroph and autotroph bacteria. However, it is important to note that this study's bioleaching occurred in an alkaline medium, excluding acidolysis and complexolysis mechanisms that involve organic acids.
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