Features of ferric sulfate precipitates formed by different cultivations of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

Abstract

This study focused on the ferric sulfate precipitates formed during the culture of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans (A. ferrooxidans) in a modified 9K medium by applying a potential control on the electrode. X-ray diffraction (XRD), environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM), Raman spectroscopy (Raman) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were carried out to characterize and identify the precipitates which were formed, respectively, in the electrochemical cultivation with a fixed cathode potential (bias-experiment) and in the conventional batch cultivation without cathode potential control (no-bias-experiment). The results indicated that K-jarosite presented in both experiments while NH₄-jarosite and schwertmannite were only found in the no-bias-experiment. The formation of different precipitates could be attributed to the different growth statuses and rates of A. ferrooxidans and the different concentrations of Fe³⁺. In the bias-experiment, external electrons reproduced Fe²⁺ and promoted the growth of A. ferrooxidans, thus resulting in the low Fe³⁺ concentration and the rapid depletion of NH₄⁺ as the nitrogen source, in which K-jarosite was preferentially formed. In the no-bias- experiment, the lower concentration of A. ferrooxidans was observed, which was due to the continuous consumption of Fe²⁺ by bacteria, thus resulting in the relatively higher Fe³⁺ and the NH₄⁺ concentration in culture. The high concentration of Fe³⁺ favored the precipitation of the solid solution of K-NH₄-H₃O jarosite, and led to the formation of schwertmannite after K⁺ and NH₄⁺ were depleted.

Keywords

Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans / electrochemical cultivation / schwertmannite / jarosite