含硫重金属矿业废弃物酸化所产生的酸性矿山废水（AMD），已在世界各地带来一系列影响深远的生态环境问题。过去的微生物催化硫化物矿物研究大部分基于黄铁矿和氧化亚铁硫杆菌（Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans），而且缺少以群落为功能单位、探求黄铁矿与其他硫化物矿物氧化过程如何耦合的系统研究。本项目利用在物种组成上与自然尾矿菌群相似的实验室群落，通过金属硫化物矿物及铅锌尾矿酸化过程的实验研究和室内模拟研究，利用高通量测序技术分析微生物群落组成与动态（16S rDNA扩增子测序），以及典型酸化阶段的群落宏基因组和宏转录组，结合详尽地球化学和矿物学参数，阐明重金属矿业废弃物氧化的微生物学过程与机理以及铁原体属古菌（Ferroplasma）对铁硫循环的贡献，深入揭示酸化过程中的微生物种群动态及群落功能演变。研究成果将为控制矿业废弃物的AMD产生和重金属释放提供重要科学依据。

The acid mine drainage (AMD), generated during the acidification of sulfur-rich metalliferous mine wastes, represents a major environmental problem worldwide. Previous studies of microbially-mediated sul?de mineral dissolution and AMD production have largely been concentrated on pyrite (FeS2) and the role of the iron-oxidizing species Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (and more recently, Leptospirillum ferrooxidans). Furthermore, few investigations have used whole community as a functional unit to specifically reveal the interaction between the oxidation of pyrite and other sulfide minerals. In this study, by using laboratory communities that are comparable in species composition to environmental tailings consortia, comprehensive laboratory studies and simulated experiments will be conducted to investigate the acidification characteristics of sulfide minerals and Pb-Zn mine tailings. 16S rRNA gene-targeted high-throughput pyrosequencing technology will be applied to reveal the dynamics of microbial community composition, and comparative metagenomic and metatranscriptomic approaches utilized to illustrate the functional shifts of communities during the acidification process. By further integrating detailed physicochemical and mineralogical data, a biogeochemical model of heavy metal mine wastes oxidation will be developed. Results will elucidate the microbial processes associated with the acidification and the contribution of Ferroplasma spp. to iron and sulfur cycles. This study will offer invaluable insights into the mitigation of AMD generation and heavy metals release from heavy metal mine tailings.