Kinetics of Fe2+ oxidation by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans using total organic carbon measurement

Kinetic experiments on the biological oxidation of Fe2+ by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans were conducted by measuring the total organic carbon content. The total organic carbon in the solution was determined with different initial, concentrations of Fe2+ (4, 9, 15, and 20 mg/ml). The growth. of At. ferrooxidans and substrate utilization, were described by the Monod expression. The total organic carbon was found to be an indicator of the biomass concentration and thus may be effectively utilized for estimating cell growth rates in kinetic model development.