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Importance of Extracellular Polymeric Substances from Thiobacillus ferrooxidans for Bioleaching
1Institute for General Botany, Department of Microbiology, University of Hamburg, D-22609 Hamburg, Germany.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology
|July 2, 1998
Abstract:
Leaching bacteria such as Thiobacillus ferrooxidans attach to pyrite or sulfur by means of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) (lipopolysaccharides). The primary attachment to pyrite at pH 2 is mediated by exopolymer-complexed iron(III) ions in an electrochemical interaction with the negatively charged pyrite surface. EPS from sulfur cells possess increased hydrophobic properties and do not attach to pyrite, indicating adaptability to the substrate or substratum.