The Effect of Total Iron Concentration and Iron Speciation on the Rate of Ferrous Iron Oxidation Kinetics of Leptospirillum ferriphilum in Continuous Tank Systems

Abstract

In this study the results from a systematic study of the oxidation kinetics of Leptospirillum ferriphilum in continuous culture at total iron concentrations ranging from 2 to12 g/L are reported. In all experiments the steady-state concentrations of ferrous iron were small and comparable, and at least 97% of was as ferric. Surprisingly, the specific ferrous iron utilisation rate decreased with increasing total iron concentration, while yield coefficients increased. It was noted that the biomass concentration in the reactor (as measured by both CO2 uptake rate and cell counts) dramatically increased with increasing total iron concentrations, whereas it stayed more or less the same over a wide range of dilution rates at a given total iron concentration. The experimental data was re-analysed in terms of ferrous iron kinetics using Monod kinetics with a ferric inhibition term. The results confirm that the maximum specific iron utilisation rate is itself a function of ferric iron concentration, declining with increasing concentration. It thus appears that high concentrations of ferric iron stimulate microbial growth while at the same time inhibiting the rate of ferrous iron oxidation. It is postulated that these phenomena are related, i.e. that more growth occurs to reduce the load on the individual cell, possibly by sharing some metabolic functions.