Abstract
Some unusual effects were observed during the ferrous iron oxidation by biofilm of Thiobucillus ferrooxidans. The bioreaction rate passed through a maximum when the dilution rate was increased. A high concentration of free suspended bacteria was detected in the output liquid even at dilution rates 50 times higher than the critical dilution rate predicted from the maximal growth rate. Rate of biofilm growth was about 70-fold lower than that of the free suspended bacteria, All these effects are explained in terms of a model for biofilm structure in which the bacteria are adsorbed to the surface of pores of a natural solid material - jarosite, The jarosite is a highly porous substance. Free suspended microorganisms arc produced by the cells in the biofilm. A mathematical model of this structure was derived. Some published and original experimental data arc used to check the validity of the model.
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