A Study of Iron-Oxidizing Bacteria

Iron-oxidizing bacteria are chemotrophic bacteria that derive the energy they need to live and multiply by oxidizing dissolved ferrous iron. They are known to grow and proliferate in waters containing iron concentrations as low as 0.1 mg/L. However, at any rate 0.3 ppm of disintegrated oxygen is needed to carry out oxidation. Iron is a significant component required by living organisms to carry out numerous metabolic reactions such as formation of proteins involved in biochemical reactions, like iron-sulfur proteins, haemoglobin and coordination complexes. This element has a widespread distribution in the planet and is considered as one of the most abundant in the Earth's crust, soil and sediments. Iron is one of the trace elements in marine environments. Its role in the digestion of some chemolithotrophs is probably ancient.