Treatment of high-concentration chromium-containing wastewater by sulfate-reducing bacteria acclimated with ethanol

Hydroxyl radical induced Cr flocculation via redox reaction: The extending application of heterogeneous advanced oxidation processes on Cr removal

Flocculation is a traditional and effective method to remove Cr from wastewater, but the addition of flocculants inevitably leads to secondary pollution. In this study, Cr flocculation was induced using hydroxyl radical (•OH) (•OH flocculation) generated in an electro-Fenton-like system, achieving total Cr removal of 98.68% at initial pH = 8 within 40 min. The obtained Cr flocs showed significantly higher Cr content, lower sludge yield, and good settling properties compared to alkali precipitation and polyaluminum chloride flocculation. •OH flocculation behaved like a typical flocculant, introducing electrostatic neutralization and bridging. The mechanism proposed that •OH could overcome the steric hindrance of Cr(H₂O)₆³⁺ and combine with it as an additional ligand. Then Cr(III) was proved to undergo multi-step oxidation to form Cr(IV) and Cr(V). After these oxidation reactions, •OH flocculation took precedence over Cr(VI) generation. As a result, Cr(VI) didn't accumulate in solution until •OH flocculation was completed. This work provided a clean and eco-friendly strategy for Cr flocculation instead of flocculants and extended the application of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), which is expected to enrich existing strategies of AOPs towards Cr removal.

Reductive Cr(VI) Removal under Different Reducing and Electron Donor Conditions—A Soil Microcosm Study

Increased groundwater and soil contamination by hexavalent chromium have led to the employment of a variety of detoxification methods. Biological remediation of Cr(VI) polluted aquifers is an eco-friendly method that can be performed in situ by stimulating the indigenous microbial population with organic and inorganic electron donors. In order to study the effect of different redox conditions on microbial remediated Cr(VI) reduction to Cr(III), microcosm experiments were conducted under anaerobic, anoxic, and sulfate-reducing conditions and at hexavalent chromium groundwater concentrations in the 0–3000 μg/L range, with groundwater and soil collected from an industrial area (Inofyta region). As electron donors, molasses, emulsified vegetable oil (EVO), and FeSO4 were employed. To quantitatively describe the degradation kinetics of Cr(VI), pseudo-first-order kinetics were adopted. The results indicate that an anaerobic system dosed with simple or complex external organic carbon sources can lead to practically complete Cr(VI) reduction to Cr(III), while the addition of Fe2+ can further increase Cr(VI) removal rate significantly. Furthermore, Cr(VI) microbial reduction is possible in the presence of NO3− at rates comparable to anaerobic Cr(VI) microbial reduction, while high sulfate concentrations have a negative effect on Cr(VI) bioreduction rates in comparison to lower sulfate concentrations.

Evaluation of Cr(VI) Reduction Using Indigenous Bacterial Consortium Isolated from a Municipal Wastewater Sludge: Batch and Kinetic Studies

Hexavalent Chromium (Cr(VI)) has long been known to be highly mobile and toxic when compared with the other stable oxidation state, Cr(III). Cr(VI)-soluble environmental pollutants have been detected in soils and water bodies receiving industrial and agricultural waste. The reduction of Cr(VI) by microbial organisms is considered to be an environmentally compatible, less expensive and sustainable remediation alternative when compared to conventional treatment methods, such as chemical neutralization and chemical precipitation of Cr. This study aims to isolate and identify the composition of the microbial consortium culture isolated from waste activated sludge and digested sludge from a local wastewater treatment plant receiving high loads of Cr(VI) from an abandoned chrome foundry in Brits (North Waste Province, South Africa). Furthermore, the Cr(VI) reduction capability and efficiency by the isolated bacteria were investigated under a range of operational conditions, i.e., pH, temperature and Cr(VI) loading. The culture showed great efficiency in reduction capability, with 100% removal in less than 4 h at a nominal loading concentration of 50 mg Cr(VI)/L. The culture showed resilience by achieving total removal at concentrations as high as 400 mg Cr(VI)/L. The consortia exhibited considerable Cr(VI) removal efficiency in the pH range from 2 to 11, with 100% removal being achieved at a pH value of 7 at a 37 ± 1 °C incubation temperature. The time course reduction data fitted well on both first and second-order exponential rate equation yielding first-order rate constants in the range 0.615 to 0.011 h−1 and second order rate constants 0.0532 to 5 × 10−5 L·mg−1·h−1 for Cr(VI) concentration of 50–400 mg/L. This study demonstrated the bacterial consortium from municipal wastewater sludge has a high tolerance and reduction ability over a wide range of experimental conditions. Thus, show promise that bacteria could be used for hexavalent chromium remediate in contaminated sites.

Bioremediation of Chromium by Microorganisms and Its Mechanisms Related to Functional Groups

Heavy metals generated mainly through many anthropogenic processes, and some natural processes have been a great environmental challenge and continued to be the concern of many researchers and environmental scientists. This is mainly due to their highest toxicity even at a minimum concentration as they are nonbiodegradable and can persist in the aquatic and terrestrial environments for long periods. Chromium ions, especially hexavalent ions (Cr(VI)) generated through the different industrial process such as tanneries, metallurgical, petroleum, refractory, oil well drilling, electroplating, mining, textile, pulp and paper industries, are among toxic heavy metal ions, which pose toxic effects to human, plants, microorganisms, and aquatic lives. This review work is aimed at biosorption of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) through microbial biomass, mainly bacteria, fungi, and microalgae, factors influencing the biosorption of chromium by microorganisms and the mechanism involved in the remediation process and the functional groups participated in the uptake of toxic Cr(VI) from contaminated environments by biosorbents. The biosorption process is relatively more advantageous over conventional remediation technique as it is rapid, economical, requires minimal preparatory steps, efficient, needs no toxic chemicals, and allows regeneration of biosorbent at the end of the process. Also, the presence of multiple functional groups in microbial cell surfaces and more active binding sites allow easy uptake and binding of a greater number of toxic heavy metal ions from polluted samples. This could be useful in creating new insights into the development and advancement of future technologies for future research on the bioremediation of toxic heavy metals at the industrial scale.

Remediation of chromium- and fluoride-contaminated groundwater by immobilized Citrobacter sp. on a nano-ZrO2 hybrid material

To effectively address excessive SO₄^2-, Cr(VI), total chromium and F^- in the groundwater of acidic mining areas, a facultative anaerobic bacterium, Citrobacter, with sulfate-reducing properties, tolerance to hexavalent chromium and the ability to reduce Cr(VI) to Cr(III) was isolated and domesticated. Based on microbial immobilization technology, a nano-ZrO₂ polyacrylamide hybrid material was prepared as an embedding agent to form nano-ZrO₂ polyacrylamide Citrobacter (ZPC) particles. ZPC was microscopically characterized, and the removal performance and mechanism of ZPC for SO₄^2-, Cr(VI), total chromium and F^- in groundwater were analyzed. The results of single-factor tests showed that the optimal reaction conditions included a reaction temperature of 35°C, Citrobacter dosage of 35% (volume ratio) in the particles and hybrid material dosage of 300 mL; under these conditions, the removal rates of SO₄^2-, Cr(VI), total chromium and F^- were 70.5%, 100%, 100% and 93.3%, respectively, and the pH value increased from 4.6 to 8.07. On this basis, the effects of the reaction layer type, influent hydraulic load and influent concentration on the removal efficiency of polluted groundwater were studied through dynamic experiments. The experimental results showed that ZPC particles were better than Citrobacter as a reaction layer; the optimal influent hydraulic load was 3.0 m³/(m²·d); the selectivity of ZPC particles to anions and anionic groups was different; and the order of adsorption selectivity was F^- > Cr(VI) > SO₄^2-.

Cyclic drying and wetting tests on combined remediation of chromium-contaminated soil by calcium polysulfide, synthetic zeolite and cement

Using calcium polysulfide as the reducing agent, synthetic zeolite as the adsorbent, and cement as the curing agent, the dual-index orthogonal test method was used to determine the best remediation dosage of chromium-contaminated soil. On this basis, through the dry-wet cycle test, the durability of the chromium-contaminated soil after repair is analyzed from the perspectives of unconfined compressive strength, toxic leaching concentration, quality loss, and microscopic characterization. Test results showed that the optimal ratio for the joint repair of chromium-contaminated soil was 3 times the amount of CaS₅, 15% synthetic zeolite, and 20% cement. With the increase in the number of wet-dry cycles, the unconfined compressive strength of the composite preparation combined to repair chromium-contaminated soil was first increased and then reduced, and the concentration of Cr(VI) and total chromium in the leachate was first decreased and then increased. The higher the chromium content of the contaminated soil was, the lower the unconfined compressive strength, and the higher the leaching concentration of Cr(VI) and total chromium were. With the increase in cycle times, the cumulative mass-loss rate of composite preparations for repairing chromium-contaminated soil gradually increased, and the higher the chromium content was, the higher the cumulative mass-loss rate, which was less than 2%, reflecting the combination of composite preparations for repairing chromium-contaminated soil to have good durability. Microscopic and macroscopic results are consistent with each other.

Preparation, characterization serpentine-loaded hydroxyapatite and its simultaneous removal performance for fluoride, iron and manganese

Aiming at the problem of excessive fluorine, iron, and manganese pollution in groundwater in mining areas, a serpentine-loaded hydroxyapatite (Srp/HAP) composite adsorbent was prepared by wet chemical coprecipitation. The preparation conditions of the Srp/HAP composite adsorbent were explored, Srp/HAP was microscopically characterized, and the adsorption performance and adsorption mechanism of the Srp/HAP composite adsorbent for F⁻, Fe²⁺ and Mn²⁺ were analyzed. The results showed that the optimal preparation conditions for the composite particles were as follows: solid–liquid ratio of Srp to calcium nitrate solution 20%, aging time 20 h, calcination temperature 180 °C, and calcination time 90 min. Compact Srp/HAP composite adsorbent particles were successfully prepared, and both the lamellar crimp structure of the Srp surface and the problem of HAP surface agglomeration were resolved. After loading, the specific surface area and pore volume of the particles significantly increased, and the surface pore structure improved, which is conducive to the simultaneous adsorption and removal of fluorine, iron and manganese. The optimal reaction conditions for Srp/HAP treatment of composite water samples with F⁻, Fe²⁺ and Mn²⁺ mass concentrations of 5 mg L⁻¹, 20 mg L⁻¹ and 5 mg L⁻¹, respectively, are as follows: dosage of Srp/HAP 3 g L⁻¹, pH 7, temperature 35 °C, and reaction time 150 min. Under these conditions, the removal rates of F⁻, Fe²⁺ and Mn²⁺ were 98.6%, 99.9% and 99.8%, respectively. The quasi-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isothermal adsorption model described the adsorption process of F⁻, Fe²⁺ and Mn²⁺ by the composite particles well. The adsorption process includes both surface physical adsorption and chemical adsorption. Chemical adsorption is mainly characterized by ion exchange and surface complexation. The Srp/HAP composite particles can be used as an excellent adsorbent for the treatment of groundwater containing fluorine, iron and manganese ions in mining areas.

A new adsorbent Srp/HAP for simultaneous removal of fluoride, iron and manganese was prepared, characterized and analyzed.