Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
GEOMICROBIOLOGY JOURNAL AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEOMICROBIOLOGY AND MICROBIAL BIOGEOCHEMISTRY, cilt.1, sa.1, ss.1-12, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
This study directly compares, under controlled Taguchi design of experiments (DOE) conditions,the effectiveness of two purification routes for quartzite from Hatay, Türkiye: (1) bioleachingusing Aspergillus niger and (2) oxalic-acid leaching. The raw material contained 96.54% SiO2,0.75% K2O, 0.53% TiO2, 0.75% Al2O3, 0.05% CuO, 0.21% CaO, and 0.65% Fe2O3, rendering itunsuitable for direct glass-industry use. An L9 Taguchi experimental design was applied toboth routes. Among the tested combinations, the best performing bioleaching condition (5%solids, 200 rpm, 10 days, 3 mL spore suspension) yielded a quartz product with 98.10% SiO2,0.35% Al2O3, and 0.28% Fe2O3, whereas oxalic-acid leaching at 5% solids, 20 g L−1 oxalic acid,80 °C, and 90 min produced 98.70% SiO2, 0.38% Al2O3, and 0.22% Fe2O3; post-treatment XRDshowed only quartz reflections. This side-by-side evaluation under identical, systematicallydesigned conditions for natural quartzite with complex impurities has not beencomprehensively reported previously. Both routes produced glass-grade quartzite via effectiveAl/Fe removal, meeting green and amber glass specifications; bioleaching provides areagent-lean, microbially driven pathway, whereas oxalic-acid leaching enables rapid Feremoval, supporting pilot-scale validation for industrial adoption in sustainable mineral processing.