Abstract:[Background] Bioleaching is an effective leaching method for treating tailings, waste ore, low-grade ore, refractory ore. Compared with traditional leaching technologies, bioleaching has the advantages of environmental friendliness, high returns, and high efficiency. [Objective] To gain insights into the research trends and the academic influences of bioleaching on a global scale, and to assist researchers in identifying research directions, conducting relevant studies, and understanding the most pertinent topics in this field. [Methods] The articles about bioleaching were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection within the period spanning 2011 to 2023 and systematically analyzed. [Results] A decline presented in the number of annual publications in the field of bioleaching in recent years. The analysis of highly cited articles indicated that in addition to the intrinsic quality of the literature, a substantial contributing factor in attaining this status was the accessibility of national policy support and funding resources. A total of 80 countries conducted research in this field, involving 1 546 institutions, with the articles being published in 580 journals. A substantial corpus of research has been undertaken in China, Iran, India, and Australia, involving multiple disciplines such as metallurgical engineering, environmental science and ecology, mining engineering and biotechnology, and applied microbiology. A cluster analysis identified four keywords that appeared frequently, which were chalcopyrite, printed circuit boards, heavy metals, and leaching. The presence of these keywords offers new avenues for researchers to pursue in their search for knowledge in this field. [Conclusion] The current research on bioleaching mainly focuses on single strains, and the adsorption of mixed strains on minerals and the tolerance mechanisms of mixed strains to metal ions are the future research directions.
