Abstract
The Zijin heap bioleaching plant was operated at the end of 2005. Concerns about the potential risk of environmental pollution from heap bioleaching plant arise due to the proximity to the Ting River. In this study, a physicochemical analysis, a geo-accumulation index and a high throughput sequencing technology were applied to determine heavy metals, assess the extent of heavy metal pollution, and research the effect of the heap bioleaching plant on the microbes, respectively. Results showed that the heap bioleaching plant had significant influence on the distribution of S, Pb and Cu and no significant influence on the distribution of As, Fe and Cr. Most of the water samples reached the third class standard of the People's Republic of China for surface water and individual water samples were above the fifth class standard of the People's Republic of China for surface water (GB3838-2002) because of As. The heap bioleaching plant had some effect on the microbial biomass, diversity and the microbial composition. However, the effect on the microbial biomass and diversity were not significant.
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