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González E, Vera F, Scott F, Guerrero C, Bolívar JM, Aroca G, Muñoz JÁ, Ladero M, Santos VE. Acidophilic heterotrophs: basic aspects and technological applications. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1374800. [PMID: 38827148 PMCID: PMC11141062 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1374800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Acidophiles comprise a group of microorganisms adapted to live in acidic environments. Despite acidophiles are usually associated with an autotrophic metabolism, more than 80 microorganisms capable of utilizing organic matter have been isolated from natural and man-made environments. The ability to reduce soluble and insoluble iron compounds has been described for many of these species and may be harnessed to develop new or improved mining processes when oxidative bioleaching is ineffective. Similarly, as these microorganisms grow in highly acidic media and the chances of contamination are reduced by the low pH, they may be employed to implement robust fermentation processes. By conducting an extensive literature review, this work presents an updated view of basic aspects and technological applications in biomining, bioremediation, fermentation processes aimed at biopolymers production, microbial electrochemical systems, and the potential use of extremozymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernesto González
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Chemistry, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- School of Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Fernando Vera
- School of Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Felipe Scott
- Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago, Chile
| | - Cecilia Guerrero
- School of Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Juan M. Bolívar
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Chemistry, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Germán Aroca
- School of Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Jesús Ángel Muñoz
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Chemistry, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel Ladero
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Chemistry, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Victoria E. Santos
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Chemistry, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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She Z, Wang J, Pan X, Ma D, Gao Y, Wang S, Chuai X, Mu Y, Yue Z. Multi-omics insights into biogeochemical responses to organic matter addition in an acidic pit lake: Implications for bioremediation. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 254:121404. [PMID: 38442608 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121404] [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: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Acidic pit lakes (APLs) emerge as reservoirs of acid mine drainage in flooded open-pit mines, representing extreme ecosystems and environmental challenges worldwide. The bioremediation of these oligotrophic waters necessitates the addition of organic matter, but the biogeochemical response of APLs to exogenous organic matter remains inadequately comprehended. This study delves into the biogeochemical impacts and remediation effects of digestate-derived organic matter within an APL, employing a multi-omics approach encompassing geochemical analyses, amplicon and metagenome sequencing, and ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry. The results indicated that digestate addition first stimulated fungal proliferation, particularly Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes, which generated organic acids through lignocellulosic hydrolysis and fermentation. These simple compounds further supported heterotrophic growth, including Acidiphilium, Acidithrix, and Clostridium, thereby facilitating nitrate, iron, and sulfate reduction linked with acidity consumption. Nutrients derived from digestate also promoted the macroscopic development of acidophilic algae. Notably, the increased sulfate reduction-related genes primarily originated from assimilatory metabolism, thus connecting sulfate decrease to organosulfur increase. Assimilatory and dissimilatory sulfate reduction collectively contributed to sulfate removal and metal fixation. These findings yield multi-omics insights into APL biogeochemical responses to organic matter addition, enhancing the understanding of carbon-centered biogeochemical cycling in extreme ecosystems and guiding organic amendment-based bioremediation in oligotrophic polluted environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhixiang She
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, China; Anhui Engineering Research Center of Industrial Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recovery, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, China; Key Laboratory of Nanominerals and Pollution Control of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, China
| | - Jin Wang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, China; Anhui Engineering Research Center of Industrial Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recovery, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, China; Key Laboratory of Nanominerals and Pollution Control of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, China.
| | - Xin Pan
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, China; Anhui Engineering Research Center of Industrial Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recovery, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, China; Key Laboratory of Nanominerals and Pollution Control of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, China
| | - Ding Ma
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, China; Anhui Engineering Research Center of Industrial Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recovery, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, China; Key Laboratory of Nanominerals and Pollution Control of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, China
| | - Yijun Gao
- Luohe Mining Company Ltd, Anhui Maanshan Iron and Steel Mining Resources Group, Hefei, Anhui 230009, China
| | - Shaoping Wang
- Nanshan Mining Company Ltd, Anhui Maanshan Iron and Steel Mining Resources Group, Ma'anshan, Anhui 243000, China
| | - Xin Chuai
- Nanshan Mining Company Ltd, Anhui Maanshan Iron and Steel Mining Resources Group, Ma'anshan, Anhui 243000, China
| | - Yang Mu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Zhengbo Yue
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, China; Anhui Engineering Research Center of Industrial Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recovery, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, China; Key Laboratory of Nanominerals and Pollution Control of Anhui Higher Education Institutes, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, China.
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Boase K, Santini T, Watkin E. Microbes of biotechnological importance in acidic saline lakes in the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1308797. [PMID: 38419638 PMCID: PMC10899397 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1308797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Acidic salt lakes are environments that harbor an array of biologically challenging conditions. Through 16S rRNA, 18S rRNA, and ITS amplicon sequencing of eight such lakes across the Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia, we aim to understand the microbial ecology of these lakes with a focus on iron- and sulfur-oxidizing and reducing microorganisms that have theoretical application in biomining industries. In spite of the biological challenges to life in these lakes, the microbial communities were highly diverse. Redundancy analysis of soil samples revealed sulfur, ammonium, organic carbon, and potassium were significant diversities of the microbial community composition. The most abundant microbes with a hypothetical application in biomining include the genus 9 M32 of the Acidithiobacillus family, Alicyclobacillus and Acidiphilium, all of which are possible iron- and/or sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. It is evident through this study that these lakes harbor multiple organisms with potential in biomining industries that should be exploited and studied further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katelyn Boase
- Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Talitha Santini
- School of Agriculture, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Elizabeth Watkin
- Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
- School of Science, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, Australia
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Unraveling the Central Role of Sulfur-Oxidizing Acidiphilium multivorum LMS in Industrial Bioprocessing of Gold-Bearing Sulfide Concentrates. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9050984. [PMID: 34062882 PMCID: PMC8147356 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9050984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Acidiphilium multivorum LMS is an acidophile isolated from industrial bioreactors during the processing of the gold-bearing pyrite-arsenopyrite concentrate at 38–42 °C. Most strains of this species are obligate organoheterotrophs that do not use ferrous iron or reduced sulfur compounds as energy sources. However, the LMS strain was identified as one of the predominant sulfur oxidizers in acidophilic microbial consortia. In addition to efficient growth under strictly heterotrophic conditions, the LMS strain proved to be an active sulfur oxidizer both in the presence or absence of organic compounds. Interestingly, Ac. multivorum LMS was able to succeed more common sulfur oxidizers in microbial populations, which indicated a previously underestimated role of this bacterium in industrial bioleaching operations. In this study, the first draft genome of the sulfur-oxidizing Ac. multivorum was sequenced and annotated. Based on the functional genome characterization, sulfur metabolism pathways were reconstructed. The LMS strain possessed a complicated multi-enzyme system to oxidize elemental sulfur, thiosulfate, sulfide, and sulfite to sulfate as the final product. Altogether, the phenotypic description and genome analysis unraveled a crucial role of Ac. multivorum in some biomining processes and revealed unique strain-specific characteristics, including the ars genes conferring arsenic resistance, which are similar to those of phylogenetically distinct microorganisms.
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