Bioremediation of Uranium- and Nitrate-Contaminated Groundwater after the In Situ Leach Mining of Uranium
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Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Bioremediation, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
2
Desert Engineering Survey and Design Institute, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
3
Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology for Industrial Pollution Control of Zhejiang Province, College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Fabienne Battaglia-Brunet
Water 2021, 13(22), 3188; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13223188
Received: 22 October 2021
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Revised: 8 November 2021
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Accepted: 8 November 2021
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Published: 11 November 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Treatment of Mining and Industrial Effluents and Groundwaters)
Uranium and nitrate are common groundwater pollutants near in situ leach uranium mines. However, we still lack techniques that can simultaneously immobilize uranium and reduce nitrate using a single bacterial species. In this study, the potential of simultaneous uranium immobilization and nitrate reduction by a single AFODN (anaerobic Fe(II) oxidizing denitrifier), Clostridium sp. PXL2, was investigated. Clostridium sp. PXL2 showed tolerance to U(VI) concentrations varying from 4.2 µM to 42 µM. The U(VI) immobilization and nitrate reduction rates in groundwater samples inoculated with this bacterium reached up to 75.1% and 55.7%, respectively, under neutral conditions. Exposure to oxidation conditions led to further U(VI) removal but did not show any noticeable effect on nitrate reduction. The U(VI) immobilization rate reached up to 85% with an increased Fe(II) initial concentration, but this inhibited nitrate reduction. SEM (scanning electron microscopy) coupled with EDS (energy dispersive spectroscopy) showed that the U(VI) immobilization was mainly due to sorption to amorphous ferric oxides. U(VI) and nitrate bioremediation by AFODNs, including Clostridium sp. PXL2, may provide a promising method for the treatment of uranium- and nitrate-contaminated groundwater after the in situ leach mining of uranium.
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Keywords:
Clostridium sp. PXL2; immobilization; reduction
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MDPI and ACS Style
Wufuer, R.; Duo, J.; Li, W.; Fan, J.; Pan, X. Bioremediation of Uranium- and Nitrate-Contaminated Groundwater after the In Situ Leach Mining of Uranium. Water 2021, 13, 3188. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13223188
AMA Style
Wufuer R, Duo J, Li W, Fan J, Pan X. Bioremediation of Uranium- and Nitrate-Contaminated Groundwater after the In Situ Leach Mining of Uranium. Water. 2021; 13(22):3188. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13223188
Chicago/Turabian StyleWufuer, Rehemanjiang, Jia Duo, Wenfeng Li, Jinglong Fan, and Xiangliang Pan. 2021. "Bioremediation of Uranium- and Nitrate-Contaminated Groundwater after the In Situ Leach Mining of Uranium" Water 13, no. 22: 3188. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13223188
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