Thiobacillus ferrooxidans
| Acidithiobacillus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Kingdom: | Eubacteria |
| Phylum: | Proteobacteria |
| Class: | Acidithiobacillia |
| Order: | Acidithiobacillales |
| Family: | Acidithiobacillaceae |
| Genus: | Acidithiobacillus |
| Species | |
|
Acidithiobacillus albertensis |
|
Acidithiobacillus albertensis
Acidithiobacillus caldus
Acidithiobacillus ferridurans
Acidithiobacillus ferriphilus
Acidithiobacillus ferrivorans
Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans
Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans
Acidithiobacillus is a genus of the Acidithiobacillia in the "Proteobacteria". Like all "Proteobacteria", Acidithiobacillus spp. are Gram-negative. Some members of this genus were classified as Thiobacillus spp., before they were reclassified in 2000.
Both of these species are used in the biohydrometallurgy industry in methods called bioleaching and biomining, whereby metals are extracted from their ores through bacterial oxidation.
Acidithiobacillus are acidophilic obligate autotrophs (Acidithiobacillus caldus can also grow mixotrophically) that use elementary sulfur, tetrathionate and ferrous iron as electron donors. They assimilate carbon from carbon dioxide using the transaldolase variant of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle. The genus comprises motile, rod-shaped cells that can be isolated from low pH environments including low pH microenvironments on otherwise neutral mineral grains.
Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans has emerged as an economically significant bacterium in the field of biohydrometallurgy, in the leaching of sulfide ores since its discovery in 1950 by Colmer, Temple and Hinkle. The discovery of A. ferrooxidans led to the development of “biohydrometallurgy”, which deals with all aspects of microbial mediated extraction of metals from minerals or solid wastes and acid mine drainage.A. ferrooxidans has been proven as a potent leaching organism, for dissolution of metals from low-grade sulfide ores. Recently, the attention has been focused upon the treatment of mineral concentrates, as well as complex sulfide ores using batch or continuous-flow reactors.
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