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Bioreduction and immobilization of hexavalent chromium by the extremely acidophilic Fe(III)-reducing bacterium Acidocella aromatica strain PFBC

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Abstract

The extremely acidophilic, Fe(III)-reducing heterotrophic bacterium Acidocella aromatica strain PFBC was tested for its potential utility in bioreduction of highly toxic heavy metal, hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI). During its aerobic growth on fructose at pH 2.5, 20 µM Cr(VI) was readily reduced to Cr(III), achieving the final Cr(VI) concentration of 0.4 µM (0.02 mg/L), meeting the WHO drinking water guideline of 0.05 mg/L. Despite of the highly inhibitory effect of Cr(VI) on cell growth at higher concentrations, especially at low pH, Cr(VI) reduction activity was readily observed in growth-decoupled cell suspensions under micro-aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Strain PFBC was not capable of anaerobic growth via dissimilatory reduction of Cr(VI), such as reported for Fe(III). In the presence of both Cr(VI) and Fe(III) under micro-aerobic condition, microbial Fe(III) reduction occurred only upon complete disappearance of Cr(VI) by its reduction to Cr(III). Following Cr(VI) reduction, the resultant Cr(III), supposedly present in the form of cationic CrIII(OH2) 3+6 , was partially immobilized on the negatively charged cell surface through biosorption. When Cr(III) was externally provided, rather than microbially produced, it was poorly immobilized on the cell surface. Cr(VI) reducing ability was reported for the first time in Acidocella sp. in this study, and its potential role in biogeochemical cycling of Cr, as well as its possible utility in Cr(VI) bioremediation, in highly acidic environments/solutions, were discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partly supported by grants from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS: No. 23810024), Kurita Water and Environment Foundation (KWEF: No. 23001), and the Kyushu University P and P program. The XAFS experiments were performed at Kyushu University Beamline (SAGA-LS/BL06: No. 2013IIK018). Y. Masaki is grateful for financial assistance provided by the Kyushu University Advanced Graduate Program in Global Strategy for Green Asia. Ac. aromatica PFBC was kindly provided by Prof. D. B. Johnson (University of Bangor, UK).

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  1. Department of Earth Resources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan

    Yusei Masaki, Tsuyoshi Hirajima, Keiko Sasaki & Naoko Okibe

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  1. Yusei Masaki
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  2. Tsuyoshi Hirajima
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  4. Naoko Okibe
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Correspondence to Naoko Okibe.

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Communicated by A. Oren.

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Masaki, Y., Hirajima, T., Sasaki, K. et al. Bioreduction and immobilization of hexavalent chromium by the extremely acidophilic Fe(III)-reducing bacterium Acidocella aromatica strain PFBC. Extremophiles 19, 495–503 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-015-0733-6

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