Leptospirillum sp. str. ZC isolated from bioleaching pulp of zinc concentrate is capable of oxidizing Fe (II) with the optimal temperature of 37oC. In pure culture bacteria is unable to oxidize pyrite, however, its growth together with sulfur oxidizing A.albertensis str.SO-2 significantly enhances the efficiency of pyrite bioleaching. The correlation between pyrite biooxidation and adhesion of ...

More than 100 million individuals worldwide are exposed to arsenic-contaminated water, making the investigation of arsenic mobility in aquatic systems of utmost importance. Iron (hydr)oxides play a key role in preventing arsenic release in aquifers and soils due to their strong arsenic sorption and are even used to remove arsenic in water treatment. Neutrophilic Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria produc...

Hydrogen production by water splitting may be an appealing solution for future energy needs. To evolve hydrogen efficiently in a sustainable manner, it is necessary first to synthesize what we may call a 'super catalyst' for water oxidation, which is the more challenging half reaction of water splitting. An efficient system for water oxidation exists in the water oxidizing complex in cyanobacte...

Why unique? Firstly, it is capable of very diverse chemistry. Hydrogen peroxide may act as either an oxidizing agent or a reducing agent. As an oxidizing agent, its application ranges from highly selective oxidation chemistries applicable to the manufacture of many organic com-pounds, through the bleaching of pulp, to the total oxidation of large organic compounds to carbon dioxide. Its reactiv...

Several strains of Gram-negative and Gram-positive sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are able to use carbon monoxide (CO) as a carbon source and electron donor for biological sulphate reduction. These strains exhibit variable resistance to CO toxicity. The most resistant SRB can grow and use CO as an electron donor at concentrations up to 100%, whereas others are already severely inhibited at CO...

Hydrothermal vents are a well-known source of energy that powers chemosynthesis in the deep sea. Recent work suggests that microbial chemosynthesis is also surprisingly pervasive throughout the dark oceans, serving as a significant CO(2) sink even at sites far removed from vents. Ammonia and sulfur have been identified as potential electron donors for this chemosynthesis, but they do not fully ...

In the deep ocean, the conversion of methane into derived carbon and energy drives the establishment of diverse faunal communities. Yet specific biological mechanisms underlying the introduction of methane-derived carbon into the food web remain poorly described, due to a lack of cultured representative deep-sea methanotrophic prokaryotes. Here, the response of the deep-sea aerobic methanotroph...