AbstractAttachment of the thermophilic microorganism Sulfolobus acidocaldarius was studied on Kentucky #9 coal, an Ohio coal mixture, Ohio #6, a European coal designated as Sulzer coal, activated carbon and iron pyrite to define the effects of initial cell density, prior acid leaching, pyrite content, and surface area on rate and extent of preleaching attachment. The results showed that the rate of preleaching attachment was so high that equilibrium was reached in less than 5 min in most cases. Attached cells increased in number with increasing initial cell density. Prior nitric acid leaching of coal reduced the extent of cell adsorption while hydrochloric acid leaching did not affect cell attachment. Some adsorption isotherms fit the Langmuir model. The specific adsorption (cells/cm3coal) increased with increasing surface areas measured by nitrogen adsorption. Pyrite gave the highest extent of cell attachment based on per unit surface area comparison. Adsorption isotherms of a pyrite‐selective chemical adsorbate revealed that preleaching attachment of cells was affected further by altered surface properties of the coals and that the concept of selective attachment of cells on pyrite surfaces was also supporte
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