Environmentally-friendly biorecovery of manganese from electrolytic manganese residue using a novel Penicillium oxalicum strain Z6-5-1: Kinetics and mechanism

Bioleaching is a promising route for electrolytic manganese (Mn) residue (EMR) reutilization due to being eco-friendly and cost-effective. However, microbes with high bioleaching efficiency are scarce. This work aimed to isolate, screen, and characterize a novel fungal strain with high Mn-bioleaching efficiency from EMR, and study the kinetics and mechanism. The novel Penicillium oxalicum strain Z6-5-1 was found to selectively bioleach Mn from EMR. A maximum Mn²⁺ recovery of 93.3 % was achieved after 7 days and was mainly dependent upon acidolysis of the bio-organic acids, specifically gluconic acid and oxalic acid, as well as mycelial biosorption. This efficiency was the highest reported in the literature for a fungus over such a short time. EMR strongly induced P. oxalicum to produce gluconic acid and oxalic acid. The novel transcription factor PoxCxrE of P. oxalicum controlled the production of bio-organic acids by regulating the expression of rate-limiting enzyme genes involved in the biosynthesis of bio-organic acids. Scanning electron microscopy, laser particle size analysis, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were employed to analyze EMR changes after bioleaching. This study provides an alternative fungal resource for Mn-bioleaching of EMR, and a novel target for metabiotic engineering to improve bio-organic acid production.