Pyrite oxidation by Sulfolobus acidocaldarius

Two strains of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, a thermoacidophilic archaebacterium, were examined for their pyrite-oxidizing ability. S. acidocaldarius ATCC 33909 was shown to possess iron-oxidizing activity by ferrous sulfate oxidizing experiments, but S. acidocaldarius No. 7 did not have it. Pyrite-oxidizing rate of S. acidocaldarius ATCC 33909 was 1.6-fold higher than that of strain 7 though they had a similar level of sulfur-oxidizing ability. These results show that the iron-oxidizing activity accelerates pyrite oxidation.