Abstract
<b> </b>Although much of the research work has been done on <i>Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans</i> in the rest of the world, unfortunately significant study has not been reported in Pakistan. The principal objective of the present investigations was to isolate and characterized the acidophilic sulphur oxidizing <i>Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans</i> from black shale and to grow the isolates on solid and liquid medium. <i>Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans</i> were Gram-negative, motile, and rod-shaped bacteria. <i>Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans</i> oxidized sulfur and reduced sulfur compounds to sulfuric acid through its metabolic activity. Different biochemical activities like starch hydolysis, gelatin hydrolysis, hydrogen sulphide production, catalyse reaction, urease test, indole production, methyl red test, voges proskaur, citrate utilization and triple sugar iron test of the isolates were performed.
Highlights
Black shales are dark, as a result of being especially rich in unoxidized carbon, common in some Palaeozoic and Mesozoic strata
There are certain important iron and sulfur oxidizing chemolithrophic bacteria and archaea that are involved in the biooxidation of minerals and are responsible for producing ferric iron and sulphuric acid required for the bioleaching reactions[5]
Present study was conducted at Microbiology Research Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad to isolate and characterized the acidiphilic sulphur and iron oxidizing bacteria from black shale collected from Tarbela, Pakistan
Summary
As a result of being especially rich in unoxidized carbon, common in some Palaeozoic and Mesozoic strata. The most common microorganisms belong to the genera Acidithiobacillus and Leptosprillium which are mesophile, acidophilic and chemolithoautotroph They obtain energy from oxidation of either ferrous ion to ferric or reduction of sulfur compounds to sulphuric acid[4]. There are certain important iron and sulfur oxidizing chemolithrophic bacteria and archaea that are involved in the biooxidation of minerals and are responsible for producing ferric iron and sulphuric acid required for the bioleaching reactions[5]. These microbes have a number of features in common. The objectives of present study were: To evaluate bioleachability of Polkowice black shale ore, to establish reliable lab scale pilot operations of process, to optimize configuration and settings and to study their biochemical activities and optical density on different media
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