Pyrite oxidation by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans bacteria

The kinetic model of pyrite particle dissolution by the action of bacteria Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans in a shaken Erlenmeyer flask was presented. The model agreed well with the experimental data for the extracted iron and the number of cells in the liquid phase. The specific growth rate of the adsorbed cells was evaluated (?A = 1,6 d-1) by fitting the experimental data to the model curve. Also, the relevance of the two proposed mechanisms for the bacterial dissolution of sulphide (direct and indirect) was discussed, indicating that the indirect one was dominant. The adsorption process of A. ferrooxidans to the pyrite surface was well correlated by a Langmuir type isotherm.