Modelling of Fe2 + oxidation by Thiobacillus ferrooxidans

Summary The kinetics of oxidation of aqueous acidic ferrous sulphate by Thiobacillus ferrooxidans has been studied in a batch reactor. The contribution of cell wall envelopes to the oxidation rate has been shown to be negligible. A model which accounts for the oxidation of Fe^{2 +}, death of bacteria due to Fe^{3 +} poisoning, existence of an optimal pH and precipitation of Fe^{3 +} has been proposed. The model is able to predict the concentration of Fe^{2 +} and pH quite satisfactorily. The predictions of Fe^{3 +} are not so accurate because of simplifying assumptions made about its precipitation. Offprint requests to: R. Kumar