The recovery of Ge from lignite by microorganism includes two stages: (1) the breaking-down of Ge complex of humus in lignite into simple compounds assisted by microorganism; (2) the desorption of Ge compounds from the lignite. The recovery rate of Ge has been enhanced by 14% since the discovery of adsorption and desorption of Ge from coal. The effects of pH, leaching agents, and coal size on the recovery of Ge were experimentally investigated, and the optimized process parameters were obtained. The reaction heat of Ge adsorption and desorption in lignite was determined. It is about 23-53 kJ/mol, which reveals that the adsorption belongs to physical process. The recovery rate of Ge from lignite with direct microorganism leaching can reach about 85%, which is higher than that of 60% reported elsewhere. A potential process for leaching Ge in lignite was suggested. The recovery of Ge from lignite by microorganism includes two stages: (1) the breaking-down of Ge complex of humus in lignite into simple compounds assisted by microorganism; (2) the desorption of Ge compounds from the lignite. The recovery rate of Ge has been enhanced by 14% since the discovery of adsorption and desorption of Ge from coal. The effects of pH, leaching agents, and coal size on the recovery of Ge were experimentally investigated, and the optimized process parameters were obtained. The reaction heat of It is about 23-53 kJ / mol, which reveals that the adsorption belongs to physical process. The recovery rate of Ge from lignite with direct microorganism leaching can reach about 85%, which is higher than that of 60% reported elsewhere. A potential process for leaching Ge in lignite was suggested.