MESSAI.iO

Electrotroph · Iron oxidizer · Sulfur oxidizer

Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

Pseudomonadota · Acidithiobacillia · Acidithiobacillaceae

ElectroactiveEET inwardBSL-1Partial record
  • Acidophile
  • Electrotroph
  • Biomining
  • Autotroph
  • Tier 2
Inward
Electron transfer
electroactive
30°C
Optimal temperature
grows 10–40 °C
2
Optimal pH
grows pH 1.3–4.5

01 · Identity

Identity

Where this organism sits in the tree of life, how to obtain it, and what a cell looks like.

Lineage

  1. domainBacteria
  2. ›phylumPseudomonadota
  3. ›classAcidithiobacillia
  4. ›orderAcidithiobacillales
  5. ›familyAcidithiobacillaceae
  6. ›genusAcidithiobacillus
  7. ›speciesAcidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

Culture collections & accessions

NCBI taxon
920

Cell morphology

Rod, Gram-negative (diderm)

  • Motile: yes

02 · Electron transfer

Electron transfer

How electrons cross the cell envelope — the property that makes a microbe useful in an electrochemical system.

ElectroactiveEET inward
CELLELECTRODEOUTER-MEMBRANE CYTOCHROMESCyc2Cyc1rusticyaninCycA1e⁻
Electrons flow inward: electrode → cell (electrotroph)

Mechanisms

  • Outer-membrane cytochromes: yes

Other

Cathode electron uptake mechanism
Direct EET demonstrated

03 · Growth envelope

Growth envelope

The conditions this organism tolerates and what it eats and breathes — the operating window for a reactor.

AcidophileObligate aerobeChemolithoautotroph
Temperature30 (10–40) °C
0100 °C
pH2 (1.3–4.5)
014

Energy metabolism

Electron donors

  • Fe(II)
  • S0
  • Sulfide
  • Thiosulfate
  • Cathode

Electron acceptors

  • O2

Carbon sources

  • CO2

Metabolism — detail

Carbon fixation pathway
Calvin benson bassham

04 · Performance

Performance

Reported electrochemical output, the role it plays in a reactor, and what it produces.

Moderate electrogen
Midpoint potential
0.68 V vs SHE

Role in a reactor

Cathode chamberCathode: primary product producer

05 · Ecology & biofilm

Ecology & biofilm

How it lives on an electrode, who it partners with, and where it is found in nature.

Ecosystems

  • Extreme environment
  • Subsurface
  • Engineered MES

Isolation sources

  • acid mine drainage
  • sulfide ore deposits

06 · Applications, engineering & safety

Applications, engineering & safety

Where it has been put to work, how tractable it is to engineer, and what handling it requires.

Applications (2)

  • Bioremediation metals
    TRL 7/9
  • Carbon capture
    TRL 3/9

Biosafety

BSL-1
  • Pathogen: no

07 · Sources & data quality

Sources & data quality

Every value above traces to a citation. This is how complete and how confident the record is.

Record quality

PartialMedium confidenceCurated: manual

Literature reviewed 2026-04-26 · schema v1.2.0 · updated 2026-04-28 · imported 2026-04-28

References (2)

  1. Ishii T, et al. (2015). From chemolithoautotrophs to electrolithoautotrophs. Front Microbiol 6:994.doi:10.3389/fmicb.2015.00994
  2. Ishii T, et al. (2015). From chemolithoautotrophs to electrolithoautotrophs. Front Microbiol 6:994.doi:10.3389/fmicb.2015.00994