Abstract: The present invention discloses a method to identify and quantify environmental microorganisms useful in biomining processes. These microorganisms are basically 10, belonging to Bacteria: Acidiphilium sp., Leptospirillum sp., Sulfobacillus sp., Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans; and Archaea: Acidianus sp., Ferroplasma sp., Metallosphaera sp., Sulfolobus sp. and Thermoplasma sp. The method comprises performing a PCR with specific primers designed in our laboratories for different taxons SEQ ID No. 4 to SEQ ID No.: 407. With qPCR results and other data obtained from the analyzed sample, the microorganism concentration of each analyzed taxon present in the sample is calculated using a mathematical formula.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method to identify and quantify environmental microorganisms useful in biomining processes. These microorganisms are basically 10, belonging to Bacteria: Acidiphilium sp., Leptospirillum sp., Sulfobacillus sp., Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans; and Archaea: Acidianus sp., Ferroplasma sp., Metallosphaera sp., Sulfolobus sp. and Thermoplasma sp. The method comprises performing a PCR with specific primers designed in our laboratories for different taxons SEQ ID No. 4 to SEQ ID No.: 407. With qPCR results and other data obtained from the analyzed sample, the microorganism concentration of each analyzed taxon present in the sample is calculated using a mathematical formula.

Abstract: The present invention discloses an array of DNA fragments from biomining microorganisms and a method to identify readily and simultaneously said microorganisms in a sample. This method is a useful tool in biomining, in every circumstance where a global understanding of the present microbiological diversity is required, or simply to assess the presence of some microorganism with biomining relevance, either on the mineral, or in a bioleaching heap, in the biomining laboratory or in any other circumstance involving biomining microorgarisms.

Abstract: A method of designing oligonucleotides useful in molecular biology techniques as PCR primers or in other techniques as identification and/or quantification probes is disclosed. The method permits designing specific oligonucleotides for the identification of a determined sequence in a metagenomic sample. The method includes selecting or constructing a database of reference sequences, selecting a subset of sequences belonging to target organisms, selecting candidate oligonucleotides from such sequences, depurating these candidate oligonucleotides according to hybridization specificity and thermodynamic stability criteria, obtaining a list of designed oligonucleotides that fulfill the hybridization specificity and thermodynamic stability criteria, producing materially by chemical synthesis the designed oligonucleotides, and selecting the oligonucleotides which comply with the requirements of the desired process.

Abstract: The present invention discloses an array of DNA fragments from biomining microorganisms and a method to identify readily and simultaneously said microorganisms in a sample. This method is a useful tool in biomining, in every circumstance where a global understanding of the present microbiological diversity is required, or simply to assess the presence of some microorganism with biomining relevance, either on the mineral, or in a bioleaching heap, in the biomining laboratory or in any other circumstance involving biomining microorganisms.

Abstract: Microorganisms are used in large-scale heap or tank aeration processes for the commercial extraction of a variety of metals from their ores or concentrates. These include copper, cobalt, gold and, in the past, uranium. The metal solubilization processes are considered to be largely chemical with the microorganisms providing the chemicals and the space (exopolysaccharide layer) where the mineral dissolution reactions occur. Temperatures at which these processes are carried out can vary from ambient to 80° C. and the types of organisms present depends to a large extent on the process temperature used. Irrespective of the operation temperature, biomining microbes have several characteristics in common. One shared characteristic is their ability to produce the ferric iron and sulfuric acid required to degrade the mineral and facilitate metal recovery. Other characteristics are their ability to grow autotrophically, their acid-tolerance and their inherent metal resistance or ability to acquire metal resistance.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method that can be used to identify one DNA sequence or one specific group of DNA sequences from a complex biological sample. Diverse molecular biology methods require the use of short DNA sequences, called oligonucleotides, that are artificially synthesized from a description of their composing bases. The disclosed method allows the design of oligonucleotides useful for said molecular biology procedures, like probe design procedures, and is characterized by the construction of a database of reference sequences, the selection of a subset of sequences belonging to target organisms, the selection of candidate oligonucleotides from such sequences, the depuration of these candidate oligonucleotides according to hybridization specificity and thermodynamic stability criteria, and the sorting of such oligonucleotides according to their taxonomic specificity.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a method to identify and quantify environmental microorganisms useful in biomining processes. These microorganisms are basically 10, belonging to Bacteria: Acidiphilium sp., Leptospirillum sp., Sulfobacillus sp., Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans; and Archaea: Acidianus sp., Ferroplasma sp., Metallosphaera sp., Sulfolobus sp. and Thermoplasma sp. The method comprises performing a two-stage PCR known as nested PCR, where in the first stage, called primary PCR, 16S ribosomal DNA sequences (nucleotides 27 to 1492, with E. coli rDNA numbering) are amplified using universal primers for the Bacteria and Archaea kingdoms. In the second stage, these primary amplicons are used as template in qPCR reactions, called secondary PCR, in which internal universal primers for either Bacteria or Archaea kingdoms, as it corresponds, and specific primers designed in our laboratories for different taxons to be determined are used.