EDDS enhanced Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 and α-FeOOH reductive dechlorination of carbon tetrachloride

Fe(II) coordination transition regulates reductive dechlorination: The overlooked abiotic role of lactate

The coordination environment of Fe(II) significantly affect the reductive reactivity of Fe(II). Lactate is a common substrate for enhancing microbial dechlorination, but its effect on abiotic Fe(II)-driven reductive dechlorination is largely ignored. In this study, the structure-reactivity relationship of Fe(II) is investigated by regulating the ratio of lactate:Fe(II). This work shows that lactate-Fe(II) complexing enhances the abiotic Fe(II)-driven reductive dechlorination with the optimum lactate:Fe(II) ratio of 10:20. The formed hydrogen bond (Fe-OH∙∙∙∙∙∙O = C-) and Fe-O-C metal-ligand bond result in a reduced Fe(II) coordination number from six to four, which lead to the transition of Fe(II) coordination geometry from octahedron to tetrahedron/square planar. Coordinatively unsaturated Fe(II) results in the highest reductive dechlorination reactivity towards carbon tetrachloride (k1 = 0.26254 min-1). Excessive lactate concentration (> 10 mM) leads to an increased Fe(II) coordination number from four to six with a decreased reductive reactivity. Electrochemical characterization and XPS results show that lactate-Fe(II)-I (C3H5O3-:Fe(II) = 10:20) has the highest electron-donating capacity. This study reveals the abiotic effect of lactate on reductive dechlorination in a subsurface-reducing environment where Fe(II) is usually abundant.

Dithionite promoted microbial dechlorination of hexachlorobenzene while goethite further accelerated abiotic degradation by sulfidation in paddy soil

It is of great scientific and practical importance to explore the mechanisms of accelerated degradation of Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in soil. Both iron oxide and dithionite may promote the reductive dechlorination of HCB, but their effects on the microbial community and the biotic and abiotic mechanisms behind it remain unclear. This study investigated the effects of goethite, dithionite, and their interaction on microbial community composition and structure, and their potential contribution to HCB dechlorination in a paddy soil to reveal the underlying mechanism. The results showed that goethite addition alone did not significantly affect HCB dechlorination because the studied soil lacked iron-reducing bacteria. In contrast, dithionite addition significantly decreased the HCB contents by 44.0-54.9%, while the coexistence of dithionite and goethite further decreased the HCB content by 57.9-69.3%. Random Forest analysis suggested that indicator taxa (Paenibacillus, Acidothermus, Haliagium, G12-WMSP1, and Frankia), Pseudomonas, richness and Shannon's index of microbial community, and immobilized Fe content were dominant driving factors for HCB dechlorination. The dithionite addition, either with or without goethite, accelerated HCB anaerobic dechlorination by increasing microbial diversity and richness as well as the relative abundance of the above specific bacterial genera. When goethite and dithionite coexist, sulfidation of goethite with dithionite could remarkably increase FeS formation and then further promote HCB dechlorination rates. Overall, our results suggested that the combined application of goethite and dithionite could be a practicable strategy for the remediation of HCB contaminated soil.

Goethite and riboflavin synergistically enhance Cr(VI) reduction by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1

Bioreduction of Cr(VI) is cost-effective and environmentally friendly, however, the slow bioreduction rate limits its application. In this study, the potential synergistic enhancement of Cr(VI) bioreduction by shewanella oneidensis MR-1 (S. oneidensis) with goethite and riboflavin (RF) was investigated. The results showed that the S. oneidensis reaction system reduce 29.2% of 20 mg/L Cr(VI) after 42 h reaction, while the S. oneidensis/goethite/RF reaction system increased the Cr(VI) reduction rate to 87.74%. RF as an efficient electron shuttle and Fe(II) from goethite bioreduction were identified as the crucial components in Cr(VI) reduction. XPS analysis showed that the final precipitates of Cr(VI) reduction were Cr(CH₃C(O)CHC(O)CH₃)₃ and Cr₂O₃ and adhered to the bacterial cell surface. In this process, the microbial surface functional groups such as hydroxyl and carboxyl groups participated in the adsorption and reduction of Cr(VI). Meanwhile, an increase in cytochrome c led to an increase in electron transfer system activity (ETSA), causing a significant enhancement in extracellular electron transfer efficiency. This study provides insight into the mechanism of Cr(VI) reduction in a complex environment where microorganisms, iron minerals and RF coexist, and the synergistic treatment method of Fe(III) minerals and RF has great potential application for Cr(VI) detoxification in aqueous environment.

Synthesis of zero-valent iron supported with graphite and plastic based carbon from recycling spent lithium ion batteries and its reaction mechanism with 4-chlorophenol in water

Graphite and plastic recycled from spent lithium ion batteries were used to synthesize zero-valent iron/graphite (ZVI/G), zero-valent iron/plastic-based carbon (ZVI/P), and zero-valent iron/graphite and plastic-based carbon (ZVI/GP) with iron oxide through carbothermic reduction. The aim of preparing these catalysts is to improve the performance of ZVI in the removal of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) in water through heterogeneous Fenton reactions. The structural and textural properties of materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N₂ adsorption/desorption, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The synthesis procedure successfully disperses ZVI particles on the synthesized materials. The combination of graphite and plastic-based carbon in ZVI/GP resulted in the best 4-CP removal performance. The degradation data fitted pseudo-first-order kinetic well. The Increase in the ZVI/GP dosage and the hydrogen peroxide concentration enhanced the 4-CP removal due to the increase in the amount of Fe²⁺ ions and reactive sites. Acidic pH increased the 4-CP removal percentage due to the high H⁺ concentration. The increase in the temperature favored the •OH formation and facilitated the 4-CP removal. The reaction energy of ZVI/GP reaches 53.54 kJ mol^-1, which is competitive among the iron catalysts reported in literatures, and showing the 4-CP removal is reaction-controlled process. This study shows a promising way of recycling graphite and plastic in spent LIBs to prepare ZVI materials for wastewater treatment with the advantages of improved conductivity by graphite and added functional groups by plastic based carbon.

Rapid biodegradation of chlorpyrifos by plant growth-promoting psychrophilic Shewanella sp. BT05: An eco-friendly approach to clean up pesticide-contaminated environment

The present study explores the rapid chlopyrifos (CPs) biodegradation potential of plant growth promoting (PGP) psychrophilic bacteria isolated from brackish water by enrichment culture technique. Based on biochemical tests and 16 S rDNA sequencing the isolate was identified as Shewanella sp. The isolate Shewanella BT05 showed significant growth rate in various concentrations of (10-50 mg/L) CPs. The isolate produced plant growth promoting factors, IAA (20.8 ± 1.2 and 15.4 ± 1.0 μg/mL) and siderophores (60.67 ± 1.2 and 57.5 ± 0.9%) in the absence and presence of CPs. Further, the isolate BT05 solublized phosphate (16.5 ± 1.0 and 12.0 ± 1.0 mm in size respectively), and produce hydrogen cyanide (excellent and moderate) in the presence and absence of CPs. The isolate BT05 degraded 94.3, 91.8, 87.9, 82.6, and 80.5% of CPs at 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 mg/L, respectively, within 24 h. Further, the media conditions were optimized for enhanced CPs removal and observed 93% removal in the presence of 3.5% glucose in pH 7.0 at 32.5 °C. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography results indicated the role for Shewanella BT05 in the biomineralization of CPs. The results suggested the isolate BT05 could be used for CPs removal as well as PGP activity in contaminated soil.

Pathway for the Production of Hydroxyl Radicals during the Microbially Mediated Redox Transformation of Iron (Oxyhydr)oxides

The reduction of ferric iron (Fe(III)) to ferrous iron (Fe(II)) by dissimilatory iron-reducing bacteria is widespread in anaerobic environments. The oxidation of Fe(II) in aerobic environments has been found to produce hydroxyl radicals (^•OH); however, the role of iron-reducing bacteria in the process has not been well understood. Here, Shewanella oneidensis MR-1-mediated redox transformation of four typical iron (oxyhydr)oxides and the production of reactive oxygen species were investigated. The results showed that the production of ^•OH was mainly determined by the insoluble Fe(II) formed during microbially mediated reduction and also mediated by the mineralogical phase. Moreover, this study for the first time observed the exogenetic iron-independent production of ^•OH by S. oneidensis MR-1, and the integrated pathway of ^•OH generation during the iron redox process was revealed. Superoxide (O₂^•-) was indicated as a key intermediate species that was produced by both abiotic and biotic pathways, and ^•OH was generated by both the exogenetic iron-dependent Fenton-like reaction and exogenetic iron-independent pathways. S. oneidensis MR-1 played a pivotal role in both the reduction of Fe(III) and the production of O₂^•-. These findings contribute substantially to our understanding of the generation mechanism of reactive oxygen species at oxidation-reduction boundaries in the environment.

Mechanism of carbon tetrachloride reduction in ferrous ion activated calcium peroxide system in the presence of methanol

This study investigated the reductive initiation for the depletion of highly oxidized/perhalogenated pollutants, specifically the degradation of carbon tetrachloride (CT) was induced by adding methanol (MeOH) into a ferrous ion (Fe(II)) activated calcium peroxide (CaO₂) system. The results indicated that CT could be completely degraded within 20 min at CaO₂/Fe(II)/MeOH/CT molar ratio of 30/40/10/1 in this system. Scavenging tests suggested that both superoxide radical anion (O₂ ^•-) and carbon dioxide radical anion (CO₂ ^•-) were predominant reactive species responsible for CT destruction. Hydroxymethyl radicals (^•CH₂OH), an intermediate in the transformation of MeOH, could also initiate CT degradation by reducing C-Cl bond. GC/MS analysis identified CHCl₃, C₂Cl₄, and C₂Cl₆ as the intermediates accompanied by CT destruction, and a reduction mechanism for CT degradation was proposed accordingly. In addition, the impact of solution matrix and initial solution pH were evaluated, and the results showed that Cl^-, NO₃ ^-, and HCO₃ ^- had adverse effects on CT degradation. Moreover, the alkaline condition was unfavorable to CT depletion. In conclusion, the results obtained in the actual groundwater tests encouragingly demonstrated that the CaO2/Fe(II)/MeOH process is a highly promising technique for the remediation of CT-contaminated groundwater.

Decolorization and detoxification of water-insoluble Sudan dye by Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 co-cultured with Bacillus circulans BWL1061

Effluents loaded with various synthetic dyes are considered as a huge burden to the surrounding ecosystems. Sudan dyes are relatively difficult to decolorize due to its water-insolubility. In the present study, the strain Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 was firstly applied to decolorize Sudan dyes under the anaerobic condition, and the physicochemical parameters on the decolorization were optimized. The results demonstrated that the suitable decolorization condition was temperature 26 °C, initial pH 7.0-8.0 and NaCl concentrations 0-20 g/L. Electron competitive acceptors including nitrite, nitrate, dimethyl sulphoxide and oxygen could cause the significant inhibition to the decolorization of Sudan dyes. Biosurfactant rhamnolipid played a positive role in enhancing the decolorization of Sudan I. The co-culture of S. putrefaciens CN32 and Bacillus circulans BWL1061 is reported for the first time to accelerate the decolorization through improving the synergistic effect of enzymatic degradation and biological reductive effect. The highest decolorization of 90.23% to Sudan I was achieved within 108 h, suggesting that co-culture technique has a good potential in the treatment of dyeing wastewater. Furthermore, the microbial toxicity tests indicated that the toxicity of Sudan I to Escherichia coli BL21 and Bacillus subtilis 168 was obviously decreased after the decolorization.