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Qiu YY, Zou J, Xia J, Li H, Zhen Y, Yang Y, Guo J, Zhang L, Qiu R, Jiang F. Adaptability of sulfur-disproportionating bacteria for mine water remediation under the pressures of heavy metal ions and high sulfate content. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 249:120898. [PMID: 38086206 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Biological sulfide production processes mediated by sulfate/sulfur reduction have gained attention for metal removal from industrial wastewater (e.g., mine water (MW) and metallurgical wastewater) via forming insoluble metal sulfides. However, these processes often necessitate the addition of external organic compounds as electron donors, which poses a constraint on the broad application of this technology. A recent proof of concept study reported that microbial sulfur disproportionation (SD) produced sulfide with no demand for organics, which could achieve more cost-benefit MW treatment against the above-mentioned processes. However, the resistance of SD bioprocess to different metals and high sulfate content in MW remains mysterious, which may substantially affect the practical applicability of such process. In this study, the sulfur-disproportionating bacteria (SDB)-dominated consortium was enriched from a previously established SD-driven bioreactor, in which Dissulfurimicrobium sp. with a relative abundance of 39.9 % was the predominated SDB. When exposed to the real pretreated acidic MW after the pretreatment process of pH amelioration, the sulfur-disproportionating activity remained active, and metals were effectively removed from the MW. Metal tolerance assays further demonstrated that the consortium had a good tolerance to different metal ions (i.e., Pb2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, Mn2+, Zn2+), especially for Mn2+ with a concentration of approximately 20 mg/L. It suggested the robustness of Dissulfurimicrobium sp. likely due to the presence of genes encoding for the enzymes associated with metal(loid) resistance/uptake. Additionally, although high sulfate content resulted in a slight inhibition on the sulfur-disproportionating activity, the consortium still achieved sulfide production rates of 27.3 mg S/g VSS-d on average under an environmentally relevant sulfate level (i.e., 1100 mg S/L), which is comparable to those reported in sulfate reduction. Taken together, these findings imply that SDB could ensure sustainable MW treatment in a more cost-effective and organic-free way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Ying Qiu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiahui Zou
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Juntao Xia
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hao Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuming Zhen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yanduo Yang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiahua Guo
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Liang Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Rongliang Qiu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural & Rural Pollution Abatement and Environmental Safety, School of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Feng Jiang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China; Guangdong Provincial International Joint Research Center on Urban Water Management and Treatment, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
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