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Nutritional Requirements of the Micro‐organisms Active in the Oxidation of Ferrous Iron in Acid Mine Leach Liquors
Author(s) -
RAWLINGS D. E.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
journal of applied bacteriology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.889
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2672
pISSN - 0021-8847
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1981.tb01241.x
Subject(s) - ferrous , chemistry , phosphate , potassium , oxidizing agent , ammonium , ferrous sulphate , iron phosphate , inorganic chemistry , nuclear chemistry , biochemistry , organic chemistry
The nutritional requirements for the oxidation of ferrous iron in acid mine water by fixed films of micro‐organisms were investigated. Supplementing the mine leach liquor with additional ammonium, phosphate and potassium did not improve the efficiency of ferrous iron oxidation. The minimum non‐limiting requirement of the ferrous iron oxidizing organisms for these nutrients was (mg/l): ammonium, 10; phosphate, 45, and potassium, 2·5. A strain of Thiobacillus was isolated which was able to grow on a medium to which only dihydrogen potassium phosphate, ferrous sulphate and agar had been added.