Sulfur oxidation bacteria

Sulfur-Oxidizing Bacteria. These are aerobic bacteria that oxidize sulfur or sulfur-bearing compounds to sulfuric acid according to the following equation ... 

This key enzyme of the dissimilatory sulfate reduction was isolated from all Desulfovibrio strains studied until now 135), and from some sulfur oxidizing bacteria and thermophilic Archaea 136, 137). The enzymes isolated from sulfate-reducing bacteria contain two [4Fe-4S] clusters and a flavin group (FAD) as demonstrated by visible, EPR, and Mossbauer spectroscopies. With a total molecular mass ranging from 150 to 220 kDa, APS reductases have a subunit composition of the type 012)32 or 02)3. The subunit molecular mass is approximately 70 and 20 kDa for the a and )3 subunits, respectively. Amino-acid sequence data suggest that both iron-sulfur clusters are located in the (3 subunit... 

A simplification of the polarization resistance technique is the linear polarization technique in which it is assumed that the relationship between E and i is linear in a narrow range around E . Usually only two points ( , 0 are measured and B is assumed to have a constant value of about 20 mV. This approach is used in field tests and forms the basis of commercial corrosion rate monitors. Rp can also be determined as the dc limit of the electrochemical impedance. Mansfeld et al. used the linear polarization technique to determine Rp for mild steel sensors embedded in concrete exposed to a sewer environment for about 9 months. One sensor was periodically flushed with sewage in an attempt to remove the sulfuric acid produced by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria within a biofilm another sensor was used as a control. A data logging system collected Rp at 10-min intervals simultaneously for the two corrosion sensors and two pH electrodes placed at the concrete surface. Figure 2 shows the cumulative corrosion loss (Z INT) obtained by integration of the MRp time curves as ... 

Their activities in desulfurization lead to a hybrid process, protected under the title of Method for electrobiologically desulfurizing petroleum [143], awarded to the Marine Biotechnology Institute by the Japanese Patent Office [143], This method is based on contacting anaerobic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria with petroleum under anaerobic condition or microaerophilic conditions. The bacteria used belonged to Proteobacteria or Thiomicrospira bacteria. 

A special case represents acid sulfate waters released from mines where metal sulfide ores and lignite have been exploited. S- and 0-isotope data may define the conditions and processes of pyrite oxidation, such as the presence or absence of dissolved oxygen and the role of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (i.e. Taylor and Wheeler 1994). 

The sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. Anaerobic conditions prevail in marine sediments, in poorly stirred swamps, and around hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the sea. Sulfate-reducing bacteria form high concentrations (up to mM) of H2S (in equilibrium with HS and s2-)318-320 This provides the substrate for bacteria of the genus Thiobacillus, which are able to oxidize sulfide, elemental sulfur, thiosulfate, and sulfite to sulfate and live where the aerobic and anaerobic regions meet.311 321-323 Most of these small gram-negative... 

Oxidation of sulfide will affect rates of sulfate reduction only if sulfate is the end product of such oxidation. Many compounds with oxidation states intermediate between sulfide and sulfate may be formed instead. Although many details of the oxidation pathways remain to be clarified, evidence suggests that sulfate is formed. Oxidation of sulfide by phototrophic microorganisms results in production of elemental sulfur, sulfate, or polythionates (e.g., 171). Members of each of the three families of phototrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria are capable of carrying the oxidation all the way to sulfate elemental sulfur and polythionates are intermediates that are stored until lower concentrations of sulfide are encountered (131, 171). Colorless sulfur... 

Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) of bioleached shale, which has been leached with the acid produced by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, have revealed a pitted, spongy-appearing surface texture. Bioleaching removes primarily the carbonate minerals, such as dolomite and calcite, which are apparently deposited in pits throughout the rest of the mineral matrix. The removal of the carbonate would be expected to increase the porosity of the raw shale. Since the results of SEM reveal only the surface... 

The model was designed to study the ability of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria to use the organically bound sulfur as substrate. The symmetry of the sulfides provided an insight into the sulfur abstracting prowess of T. thiooxidans. 

In this paper we review three types of field studies where the method is used to determine very different aspects of sulfur chemistry in the marine environment. These studies include i) the measurement of the intracellular thiol composition of marine phytoplankton in response to light ii) the reduced sulfur composition of anaerobic sediments and iii) the metabolism of potentially toxic hydrogen sulfide by sediment dwelling bivalve molluscs housing endosymbiotic sulfur oxidizing bacteria. 

The protobranch mollusc, Solemya reidi, is a shallow water bivalve which lives in very high sulfide environments and maintains an autotrophic mode of nutrition via symbiotic sulfur oxidizing bacteria located in the gills (5Q). It can... 

It is difficult to say from the 834S record of sedimentary sulfur-bearing minerals when the oceans accumulated significant oxidized sulfur. It is likely that the activity of photosynthetic green and purple sulfur-oxidizing bacteria produced the first free sulfate in the environment by reactions like... 

The flux of DS across the sediment-water interface can in some cases be strongly influenced by the presence of chemoautotrophic bacterial mats in estuaries. These sulfur oxidizing bacteria occur at the oxic-anoxic interface and can occur as colorless or as pigmented forms (GSB and PSB). 

Smith DW, Strohl WR. Sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. Variations in 58. Autotrophic Life. Shively JM, Barton LL, eds. 1991. Academic... 

Sasaki K., Tsunekawa M., Ohtsuka T., and Konno H. (1998) The role of sulfur oxidizing bacteria Thiobacillus thioox-idans in pyrite weathering. Coll. Surf. 133, 269 - 278. 

Brock, T.D., Brock, K.M., Belly, R.T. and Weiss, R.L., 1972. Sulfolobus a new genus of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria living at low pH and high temperature. Arch. Mikrobiol., 84 54-88. 

Caldwell, D.E., Caldwell, S.J. and Tiedje, J.M., 1975. An ecological study of the sulfur-oxidizing bacteria from the littoral zone of a Michigan lake and a sulfur spring in Florida. Plant Soil, 43 101—114. 

Fliermans, C.B. and Brock, T.D., 1972. Ecology of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria in hot acid soils. J. Bacteriol., Ill 343—350. 

The mining of massive sulfur deposits and the exposure of the element to air and water permits the development of populations of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, with concomitant formation of acidity and sulfate ions. The occurrence of T. thiooxidans and T. thioparus in the Rozdol deposit in Russia has been described by Karavaiko (1959 1961). Similar events can occur during the industrial uss e of elemental sulfur and the amenability of sulfur to bacterial oxidation has been widely exploited agriculturally for modification of soil acidity, supply of sulfate ion and for in situ solubilisation of rock phosphate (Starkey, 1950 Gleen and Quastel, 1953 Vitolins and Swaby, 1969). While most attention has been focussed on chemolitho-trophic thiobacilli, such as T. thiooxidans and T. thioparus, an ability to oxidise elemental sulfur has been shown to be possessed by a number of heterotrophs such as the 35 species of Streptomyces examined by Yagi et al. (1971) and Arthrobacter (Ehrlich, 1962). 

Mizoguchi, T., Sato, T. and Okabe, T., 1976. New sulfur-oxidizing bacteria capable of growing heterotrophically, Thiobacillus rubellus nov. sp. and Thiobacillus delicatus nov. sp. J. Ferment. Technol., 54 181—191. 

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