CAJ | 학술논문

Microbes were cultured from the samples at various depths in a weathering profile of RE-bearing granite in Gonghe RE mine, Guangdong Province. The cultured microbes, existing at a depth of 0.2～12 m and being more plentiful within 3 m in the profile，include bacteria (Bacillus，Enterobacter, Escherichia, Alkaligenes, Neisseria, Staphylococcus and anaerobic bacteria such as Clostridium), fungi (Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium, Mucor and Saccharomycete) and actinomyces. Experiments were made under room temperature by using solutions of the cultured microbes and their metabolites, compared with distilled water and the culture solution without microbes, to leach RE from the sample of the weathering crust. The results are shown by the experiments: (1) The mixed microbes cultured from the profile and their metabolites increase the quantity of RE leached from the sample and reduce the pH of the solutions. (2) The ability to leach RE from the sample varies with various microbes, decreasing in a sequence of fungi (Mucor, saccharomycete, Aspegillus and Penicillium), zymotic bacilli (Enterobacter, Escherichia etc.), Staphylococcus, zymotic Bacillus, actinomyces and Alkaligenes. (3) The RE leached with bacteria is mainly related to the pH value of the solutions influenced by the metabolites of the bacteria; whereas that leached with fungi is mainly related to the adsorption and imbibition of RE by the fungi and the complexing of RE with their metabolites. (4) Compared with that leached with ammonium sulfate, the fractionation of the RE leached with microbes is characterized by higher δCe, lower δEu and lower ratios of NLa/Sm and NGd/Yb. The result of the fractionation of RE accords with the distribution of RE in the various layers of a profile of weathering crust of granite in South China. The experimental results indicate that microbes and their metabolites should play a positive role in the mobilization, migration and fractionation of RE in the weathering crust in South China.