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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1967 January; 15(1): 135-139
Copyright © 1967 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Copper Sulfide Precipitation by Yeasts from Acid Mine-Waters

Department of Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York

ABSTRACT

Two strains of Rhodotorula and one of Trichosporon precipitated dissolved copper with H₂S formed by reducing elemental sulfur with glucose. Iron stimulated this activity under certain conditions. In the case of Rhodotorula strain L, iron stimulated copper precipitation aerobically at a copper concentration of 18 but not 180 µg/ml. Anaerobically, the L strain required iron for precipitation of copper from a medium with 180 µg of copper per ml. Rhodotorula strain L was able to precipitate about five times as much copper anaerobically as aerobically. The precipitated copper was identified as copper sulfide, but its exact composition could not be ascertained. Iron was not precipitated by the H₂S formed by any of the yeasts. Added as ferric iron, it was able to redissolve copper sulfide formed aerobically by Rhodotorula strain L from 18 but not 180 µg of copper per ml of medium. Since the yeasts were derived from acid mine-waters, their ability to precipitate copper may be of geomicrobial importance.