Skip to main content
PMC home page
Applied and Environmental Microbiology logoLink to Applied and Environmental Microbiology
. 1984 Sep;48(3):461–467. doi: 10.1128/aem.48.3.461-467.1984

Role of Ferrous Ions in Synthetic Cobaltous Sulfide Leaching of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans

Tsuyoshi Sugio 1,*, Chitoshi Domatsu 1, Tatsuo Tano 1, Kazutami Imai 1
PMCID: PMC241548  PMID: 16346615

Abstract

Microbiological leaching of synthetic cobaltous sulfide (CoS) was investigated with a pure strain of Thiobacillus ferroxidans. The strain could not grow on CoS-salts medium in the absence of ferrous ions (Fe2+). However, in CoS-salts medium supplemented with 18 mM Fe2+, the strain utilized both Fe2+ and the sulfur moiety in CoS for growth, resulting in an enhanced solubilization of Co2+. Cell growth on sulfur-salts medium was strongly inhibited by Co2+, and this inhibition was completely protected by Fe2+. Cobalt-resistant cells, obtained by subculturing the strain in medium supplemented with both Fe2+ and Co2+, brought a marked decrease in the amount of Fe2+ absolutely required for cell growth on CoS-salts medium. As one mechanism of protection by Fe2+, it is proposed that the strain utilizes one part of Fe2+ externally added to CoS-salts medium to synthesize the cobalt-resistant system. Since a similar protective effect by Fe2+ was also observed for cell inhibition by stannous, nickel, zinc, silver, and mercuric ions, a new role of Fe2+ in bacterial leaching in T. ferrooxidans is proposed.

Full text

PDF
461

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Hoffman L. E., Hendrix J. L. Inhibition of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans by soluble silver. Biotechnol Bioeng. 1976 Aug;18(8):1161–1165. doi: 10.1002/bit.260180811. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Olson G. J., Porter F. D., Rubinstein J., Silver S. Mercuric reductase enzyme from a mercury-volatilizing strain of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans. J Bacteriol. 1982 Sep;151(3):1230–1236. doi: 10.1128/jb.151.3.1230-1236.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. RAZZELL W. E., TRUSELL P. C. ISOLATION AND PROPERTIES OF AN IRON-OXIDIZING THIOBACILLUS. J Bacteriol. 1963 Mar;85:595–603. doi: 10.1128/jb.85.3.595-603.1963. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. SILVERMAN M. P., LUNDGREN D. G. Studies on the chemoautotrophic iron bacterium Ferrobacillus ferrooxidans. I. An improved medium and a harvesting procedure for securing high cell yields. J Bacteriol. 1959 May;77(5):642–647. doi: 10.1128/jb.77.5.642-647.1959. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Silverman M. P. Mechanism of bacterial pyrite oxidation. J Bacteriol. 1967 Oct;94(4):1046–1051. doi: 10.1128/jb.94.4.1046-1051.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Torma A. E., Walden C. C., Branion R. M. Microbiological leaching of a zinc sulfide concentrate. Biotechnol Bioeng. 1970 Jul;12(4):501–517. doi: 10.1002/bit.260120403. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Tuovinen O. H., Niemelä S. I., Gyllenberg H. G. Tolerance of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans to some metals. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek. 1971;37(4):489–496. doi: 10.1007/BF02218519. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Tuttle J. H., Dugan P. R. Inhibition of growth, iron, and sulfur oxidation in Thiobacillus ferrooxidans by simple organic compounds. Can J Microbiol. 1976 May;22(5):719–730. doi: 10.1139/m76-105. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Applied and Environmental Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES