Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 11, 2025

Elucidating the Metabolism of 2,4-Dibromophenol in Plants
Published on: February 10, 2023
Reactive oxygen species formation driven by acidophiles mediated pyrite oxidation and its potential role on
Shuang Zhou1, Ge Tong2, Xiaoyu Meng2
1School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Key Laboratory of Biometallurgy of Ministry of Education, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Mineral Metallurgical Resources Utilization and Pollution Control, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081, China.
Abstract:
Researches of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation from pyrite oxidation and its impact on contaminants transformation has been constrained to abiotic conditions. However, pyrite oxidation by acidophiles is widespread in acidic environments. The potential role of these microorganisms on pyrite-induced ROS formation and pollutants processing is not understood well. Here, ROS production and 2,4-DCP transformation during pyrite oxidation under oxic and anoxic atmospheres by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (A. ferrooxidans) were explored. 2,4-DCP removal was enhanced in biosystem. Under oxic and anoxic conditions, microbially mediated pyrite oxidation resulted in removing 93.66% and 43.77% 2,4-DCP, which were 1.14- and 1.51-fold greater than that without cells. Based on intermediates identified by LC-MS, the transformation pathway of 2,4-DCP was proposed. The trapping experiments demonstrated ROS contributed during 2,4-DCP transformation. The improving effect of A. ferrooxidans on 2,4-DCP degradation was mainly due to ROS increase. A. ferrooxidans was to promote pyrite surface renew, exposing more Fe(II) and Fe(III) sites that facilitated O2 reduction and H2O dissociation for ROS generation. Biogenic ROS and sulfite bio-oxidation with the free radical mechanism provided other ROS sources. ESR revealed A. ferrooxidans-pyrite interaction led to sustainable ROS production, indicating it could be a significant pathway in driving geochemical cycles of elements.
More Related Videos
08:31Anaerobic Protein Purification and Kinetic Analysis via Oxygen Electrode for Studying DesB Dioxygenase Activity and Inhibition
Published on: October 3, 2018
16:41Detecting, Visualizing and Quantitating the Generation of Reactive Oxygen Species in an Amoeba Model System
Published on: November 5, 2013
Related Concept Videos
Oxidation of Phenols to Quinones
o-hydroxy phenols are oxidized to o-quinones and p-hydroxy phenols to p-quinones. Such redox reactions involve the transfer of two electrons and two protons. The reversible redox...
Metabolism of Chemolithotrophs
Oxygen Requirements and Growth Patterns
Anoxygenic Photosynthesis
Radical Autoxidation
Phase I Reactions: Oxidation of Aliphatic and Aromatic Carbon-Containing Systems
Oxidation reactions are fundamental in aromatic carbon-containing systems. An example is the hydroxylation of phenobarbital, a process that transforms it into...