Publikationsrepositorium - Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

Siderophores are small organic molecules with a high affinity for binding Fe(III) and the ability to form strong complexes. They are produced by microorganisms (aerobic bacteria and fungi) and some plants to equalize the low bioavailability of iron in their environment.
The biotechnological production of siderophores offers the application in very different fields. For example, they are used as medicine against iron or heavy metal poisoning. Other applications are their utilization for the extraction, recovery and treating of iron as well as other elements, that also can be bound by siderophores. In addition, their application in froth flotation processes could be an attractive novel approach. Molecules produced by the chemical industry with functional groups like hydroxamates have been already applied successfully in this processing method. It can be suggested that siderophores carrying the same functional groups should also work well as collectors. Particularly the group of amphiphilic siderophores that have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic areas are very interesting. The natural hydrophobic property of these chelating agents could avoid additional chemicals and further working steps for making the target mineral particles hydrophobic for an efficient flotation process.
The main advantage of using biotechnology for the production of siderophores is the wide natural diversity of the structures. A lot of microorganisms and their produced siderophores have already been identified and analyzed in detail. So there is an enormous variety of different molecules available. The aim of this study is to test for the first time, whether it is possible to use siderophores in flotation processes. In addition optimized processes for both the biotechnological production and the froth flotation have to be developed. This presupposes also the investigation and characterization of the binding properties during these procedures.