Growth of free and attached Thiobacillus ferrooxidans in ore suspension

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1987 · Biotechnol. Bioeng.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/bit.260300416· OSTI ID:5777157

Espejo, R T; Ruiz, P

The growth of Thiobacillus ferroxidans in a copper-containing ore suspension incubated in shake flasks was studied by determining the number of colony-forming units both in solution and attached to ore particles. The amounts of iron and copper released from the ore under experimental conditions were also determined. The total ferrous iron either released from the minerals or generated by reduction of the ferric iron in the minerals or generated by reduction of the ferric iron in the minerals could account for the observed growth of bacteria in solution. Only a small fraction of the total colony-forming units - about 500 per mg ore - was found to be associated with the ore particles throughout the experiments. However, the rapid development of these colonies when ore particles were plated suggested that they were produced by a number of bacteria associated with each ore particle. Accordingly, when the amount of bacteria attached to ore particles was determined by monitoring the formation of ferric iron in the plates, the percentage of the total activity associated with attached bacteria was found to be between 1 and 10%.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Chile, Santiago
• OSTI ID: 5777157
• Journal Information: Biotechnol. Bioeng.; (United States), Vol. 30:4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
COPPER
METABOLISM
IRON
THIOBACILLUS FERROXIDANS
GROWTH
BIODEGRADATION
COLONY FORMATION
LEACHING
BACILLUS
BACTERIA
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
DISSOLUTION
ELEMENTS
METALS
MICROORGANISMS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SULFUR-OXIDIZING BACTERIA
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology