Kinetics of Sulfur Oxidation at Suboptimal Temperature

The microbiological oxidation of iron and sulfur constitutes two key processes in mineral biotechnology. Both mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria have been described which can utilize inorganic compounds of Fe and S as electron donors (3, 5, 6). At present, although thermophiles are characterized by superior oxidation rates, only mesophilic iron- and sulfur-oxidizing acidophiles are used in large-scale leaching processes for metal recovery from sulfide ores.