Microcrystalline structure and surface area of elemental sulphur as factors influencing its oxidation by Thiobacillus albertis

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Abstract
The effect of particle size, surface area per unit weight, and molecular component of SO on the rate of SO oxidation by Thiobacillus albertis was studied. Spherical SO prills varying in size and surface areas were prepared and added as the sulphur source to synthetic salts medium. The rate of SO oxidation by T. albertis was found to be a function of surface area/unit weight of sulphur. In all these experiments SO42- was produced in a linear manner with time indicating sterically favorable cell-sulphur oxidation binding sites for bacterial growth. Different powdered forms of SO (high-purity orthobombic, high-purity polymeric, and mixed molecular sulphur) were oxidized at a significantly faster rate than the prilled SO. Also the initial oxidation was exponential up to 3 days at which point SO42- production from mixed molecular sulphur utilization fell off substantially with time as compared with similar SO42- rate curves obtained with high-purity orthorhombic and high-purity polymeric oxidation. It was implied that the increased S.chi. content in mixed molecular sulphur was responsible for the slower oxidation rate by altering the sulphur crystal lattice formation which affected the number of sterically favorable oxidaton binding sites for T. albertis growth. Thiobacillus albertis was shown to colonize SO surfaces as microcolonies. It was concluded that particle size, surface area/unit weight, and the crystal microstructure of SO affects the oxidation rate of SO by T. albertis.

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