Enrichment of mesophilic acidophiles from the Underground Copper Mine Bor

Abstract

In this work, autotrophic growth of mesophilic acidophiles from the Underground Copper Mine Bor was performed. Two selected solution samples collected from the 'Tilva Ros' ore body were prepared in a 9K nutrient medium (Silverman and Lundgren, 1959). The first sample TR k-16 was obtained during the hole drilling of the ore body, and the second TR k-31 from the drainage channel. Two samples of 9K media (Silverman and Lundgren, 1959) were inoculated with two selected solution samples from the underground mine Tilva Ros. Inoculated culture media were incubated without prior autoclaving in the period of 6 days at a temperature of 28 ?C with purging air through the system with enough oxygen and carbon dioxide. Oxidation rate of ferrous ions in the first 3 days of incubation was 14.8 and 10.7 wt.% Fe2+/day, the next 3 days 17.3 and 13.6 and for the total period of 6 days 98.3 and 74.8 wt.% for the first and second sample, respectively, i.e. 100 wt.% with initial percentage of ferrous ion in each medium. After centrifugation of enriched samples of culture media at 3000 rpm for 5 min, a plenty of mesophilic acidophiles were determined by microscopic method. According to Karavaiko [6], in the processes of incubition for 9K nutrient solution cells number reach a value of 108 cells/cm3.