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. 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.

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Selected References

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

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