Microbial Chromate Reduction Coupled to Anaerobic Oxidation of Elemental Sulfur or Zerovalent Iron

Abstract

Chromate (Cr(VI)), as one of ubiquitous contaminants in groundwater, has posed a major threat to public health and ecological environment. Although various electron donors (e.g., organic carbon, hydrogen, and methane) have been proposed to drive chromate removal from contaminated water, little is known for microbial chromate reduction coupled to elemental sulfur (S(0)) or zerovalent iron (Fe(0)) oxidation. This study demonstrated chromate could be biologically reduced by using S(0) or Fe(0) as inorganic electron donor. After 60-day cultivation, the sludge achieved a high Cr(VI) removal efficiency of 92.9 ± 1.1% and 98.1 ± 1.2% in two independent systems with S(0) or Fe(0) as the sole electron donor, respectively. The deposited Cr(III) was identified as the main reduction product based on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing indicated that Cr(VI) reduction coupled to S(0) or Fe(0) oxidation was mediated synergically by a microbial consortia. In such the consortia, S(0)- or Fe(0)-oxidizing bacteria (e.g., Thiobacillus or Ferrovibrio) could generate volatile fatty acids as metabolites, which were further utilized by chromate-reducing bacteria (e.g., Geobacter or Desulfovibrio) to reduce chromate. Our findings advance our understanding on microbial chromate reduction supported by solid electron donors and also offer a promising process for groundwater remediation.