Conversion of sulfur dioxide to sulfate and hydrogen sulfide by Desulfotomaculum orientis

The autotrophic, sulfate-reducing bacterium, Desulfotomaculum orientis, grew in batch culture with molecular hydrogen (H₂) as an energy source, carbon dioxide (CO₂) as a carbon source and sulfur dioxide (SO₂) as the terminal electron acceptor. At high H₂ partial pressure, SO₂ was stoichiometrically reduced to hydrogen sulfide (H₂S). At low partial pressures of hydrogen (< 0.025 atm), SO₂ was both oxidized to sulfate and reduced to hydrogen sulfide. These results indicated a new mode of sulfur metabolism for D. orientis.