The neutralization of strongly alkaline pH conditions and acceleration of mineral weathering in alkaline Fe ore tailings have been identified as key prerequisites for eco-engineering tailings-soil formation for sustainable mine site rehabilitation. Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans has great potential in neutralizing alkaline pH and accelerating primary mineral weathering in the tailings but little information is available. This study aimed to investigate the colonization of A. ferrooxidans in alkaline Fe ore tailings and its role in elemental sulfur (S⁰) oxidation, tailings neutralization, and Fe-bearing mineral weathering through a microcosm experiment. The effects of biological S⁰ oxidation on the weathering of alkaline Fe ore tailings were examined via various microspectroscopic analyses. It is found that (1) the A. ferrooxidans inoculum combined with the S⁰ amendment rapidly neutralized the alkaline Fe ore tailings; (2) A. ferrooxidans activities induced Fe-bearing primary mineral (e.g., biotite) weathering and secondary mineral (e.g., ferrihydrite and jarosite) formation; and (3) the association between bacterial cells and tailings minerals were likely facilitated by extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). The behavior and biogeochemical functionality of A. ferrooxidans in the tailings provide a fundamental basis for developing microbial-based technologies toward eco-engineering soil formation in Fe ore tailings.

中文翻译：

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嗜酸性铁和硫氧化细菌，酸性氧化亚铁硫杆菌，在铁矿石尾矿中驱动碱性 pH 值中和和矿物风化

强碱性 pH 条件的中和和碱性铁矿石尾矿中矿物风化的加速已被确定为生态工程尾矿 - 土壤形成以实现可持续矿区恢复的关键先决条件。酸性氧化亚铁硫杆菌在中和碱性 pH 值和加速尾矿中的原生矿物风化方面具有巨大潜力，但可用的信息很少。本研究旨在通过微观实验研究A. ferrooxidans在碱性铁尾矿中的定殖及其在元素硫 (S ⁰ ) 氧化、尾矿中和和含铁矿物风化中的作用。生物S ⁰的影响氧化对碱性铁矿石尾矿的风化作用通过各种显微光谱分析进行了检查。发现（1）A. ferrooxidans接种物与S ⁰改良剂结合快速中和碱性铁尾矿；(2) A. ferrooxidans活动诱导含铁原生矿物（如黑云母）风化和次生矿物（如水铁矿和黄钾铁矾）的形成；(3) 细菌细胞和尾矿矿物之间的联系可能是由细胞外聚合物 (EPS) 促进的。A. ferrooxidans的行为和生物地球化学功能 尾矿中的微生物为开发基于微生物的技术以实现铁矿石尾矿中的生态工程土壤形成提供了基础。