Effect of surfactant Tween-80 on sulfur oxidation and expression of sulfur metabolism relevant genes of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

The effects of surfactant Tween-80 on the growth, sulfur oxidation, and expression of selected typical sulfur metabolism relevant genes of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans ATCC 23270 were investigated. The results showed that in the presence of 10−2 g/L Tween-80, the growth of A. ferrooxidans and its metabolism on the insoluble substrate S0 and CuFeS2 were promoted. After 24 d of bioleaching, the copper extraction yield of chalcopyrite at 10−2 g/L Tween-80 increased by 16% compared with the bioleaching experiment without Tween-80. FT-IR spectra analysis revealed that the result was probably caused by the extracellular polymeric substances whose composition could be changed by the surfactant addition. RT-qPCR was used to analyze the differential expressions of 17 selected sulfur metabolism relevant genes in response to the addition of Tween-80. Down-regulation of the extracellular protein genes indicated the influence of Tween-80 on bacteria-sulfur adsorption. Variation of the expression level of the enzymes provided a supplement to sulfur metabolism investigation.