IRON AND SULFUR

OXIDIZING BACTERIA
By : Nadyatul Hanifah
B1K014006

Sulfur- and Iron-Oxidizing

Bacteria
-

Chemolithoautotrophs, obtain energy from the oxidation of inorganic

compounds and carbon from the fixation of carbon dioxide
Aerobic, Sulfides are converted to sulfate (SO4-2) sulfate is
assimilated by plants and microbes
Two broad classes
Neutrophiles

Acidophiles
Some acidophiles able to use ferrous iron (Fe2+)

Sulfur Oxidizing bacteria

(cont.)
Thiobacillus and close relatives are best studied
Rod-shaped
Sulfur compounds most commonly used as electron donors
are H2S, So, S2O32-; generates sulfuric acid
Achromatium
Common in freshwater sediments
Spherical cells
Pylogenetically related to purple bacteria Chromatium

Nonfilamentous Sulfur Chemolithotrophs

carboxyso
mes
Halothiobacillus
neapolitanus

Elemental
sulfur
Calcium
carbonate
(CaCO3)
Achromatiu
m sp.

Sulfur Oxidizing bacteria

(cont.)
Beggiatoa
Filamentous, gliding bacteria
Found in habitats rich in H2S
e.g., sulfur springs, decaying seaweed beds, mud layers
of lakes, sewage polluted waters, and hydrothermal
vents
Most grow mixotrophically
is an organism that can use a mix of different sources of
energy and carbon, instead of having a single trophic
mode on the continuum from complete autotrophy at one
end to heterotrophy at the other.
with reduced sulfur compounds as electron donors
and organic compounds as carbon sources ( lack
Calvin cycle enzymes)

Filamentous Sulfur-Oxidizing Bacteria

Beggiatoa
sp.

Sulfur Oxidizing bacteria

(cont.)
Thioploca
Large, filamentous sulfur-oxidizing bacteria that form cell bundles
surrounded by a common sheath
Thick mats found on ocean floor off Chile and Peru
Couple anoxic oxidation of H2S with reduction of NO3- to NH4+

Thiothrix
Filamentous sulfur-oxidizing bacteria in which filaments group
together at their ends by a holdfast to form cellular arrangements
called rosettes
Obligate aerobic mixotrophs, in order to support growth and
maintenance, an organism must utilize both heterotrophic and
autotrophic means.

(a)

Cells of a Large Marine Thioploca Species

Thiothrix

Physiological Characteristics of Sulfur Oxidizers

Bioleaching

Iron and sulfur oxidizing bacteria are important in bioleaching

process
For example Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (formerly known as
Thiobacillus ferrooxidans) and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans
(formerly known as Thiobacillus thiooxidans)
Bioleaching is the extraction of metals from their ores through the
use of living organisms
As a general principle, Fe3+ ions are used to oxidize the ore. This
step is entirely independent of microbes. The role of the bacteria is
the further oxidation of the ore, but also the regeneration of the
chemical oxidant Fe3+ from Fe2+

The microbial oxidation process occurs at the cell membrane of the

bacteria. The electrons pass into the cells and are used in
biochemical processes to produce energy for the bacteria while
reducing oxygen to water. The critical reaction is the oxidation of
sulfide by ferric iron. The main role of the bacterial step is the
regeneration of this reactant