Interactive comment on “Pyrite Oxidation under initially neutral pH conditions and in the presence of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and micromolar hydrogen peroxide” by Y. Ma and C. Lin

Interactive comment on “Pyrite Oxidation under initially neutral pH conditions and in the presence of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and micromolar hydrogen peroxide” by Y. Ma and C. Lin

Interactive comment on “Pyrite Oxidation under initially neutral pH conditions and in the presence of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and micromolar hydrogen peroxide” by Y. Ma and C. Lin

Reviewer’s Comment: I agree with the other reviewers that studies on pH neutral (bio)oxidation of pyrite and other sufidic minerals are rare. Maybe, because these investigations are quite difficult to perform, as they require a profound knowledge of both the microbiology and the surface chemistry and, consequently, a strong cooperation of these research disciplines. Nevertheless, considering th...

Interactive comment on “Pyrite Oxidation under initially neutral pH conditions and in the presence of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and micromolar hydrogen peroxide” by Y. Ma and C. Lin

This work represents the first attempt to examine pyrite oxidation in a complex system involving iron/sulfide-oxidizing bacteria, molecular oxygen and intermittent fluxes of hydrogen peroxide at micromolar levels. As also pointed out by Reviewer #4, investigation of such a complex system is quite difficult to perform, we did not intend to set an unrealistic high bar for this study. As stated in...

Interactive comment on “Pyrite Oxidation under initially neutral pH conditions and in the presence of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and micromolar hydrogen peroxide” by Y. Ma and C. Lin

This work represents the first attempt to examine pyrite oxidation in a complex system involving iron/sulfide-oxidizing bacteria, molecular oxygen and intermittent fluxes of hydrogen peroxide at micromolar levels. As also pointed out by Reviewer #4, investigation of such a complex system is quite difficult to perform, we did not intend to set an unrealistic high bar for this study. As stated in...

Interactive comment on “Pyrite Oxidation under initially neutral pH conditions and in the presence of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and micromolar hydrogen peroxide” by Y. Ma and C. Lin

In this research an interfacial characterization of the pyrite was done. Yet, the biooxidation activity is well explained if the interfacial process is carefully analyzed. Thus, I recommended to request to the authors, to include the ESEM-EDX analysis of the pyrite surface after and before the assays, for each trial, vr. gr. C, T1, T2 and T3, in order to improve the surface characterization and...