Cd and Pb removal from contaminated environment by metal resistant bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34: importance of the complexation and competition effects

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doi:10.1071/EN12015

Environmental problems - Chemical approaches

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Cd and Pb removal from contaminated environment by metal resistant bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34: importance of the complexation and competition effects

Rita Hajdu ^A and Vera I. Slaveykova ^B ^C

^A Environmental Biophysical Chemistry, IIE-ENAC, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne (EPFL), Station 2, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
^B Aquatic Biogeochemistry and Ecotoxicology, Institute F.-A. Forel, Faculty of Sciences, University of Geneva, 10, route de Suisse, CH-1290 Versoix, Switzerland.
^C Corresponding author. Email: vera.slaveykova@unige.ch.

Environmental Chemistry 9(4) 389-398 http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/EN12015
Submitted: 20 January 2012 Accepted: 5 June 2012 Published: 10 August 2012





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Environmental context. Live bacteria are widely used to remove toxic metals from contaminated environments. We use the metal-resistant bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans, in both model solutions and aqueous extracts of soils, to investigate the complexation and competition effects on Cd and Pb uptake. Accumulation of Cd was more affected by competition with Ca, Mg and Zn, whereas Pb accumulation was more influenced by complexation with humic acids. The study highlights the need to consider chemical site-specificity in the removal of metals from contaminated environments.

Abstract. The present study aims to improve the understanding of the role of complexation and competition effects on Cd and Pb accumulation by the metal resistant bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans largely used in bioremediation. Adsorbed and intracellular metal content in bacteria were determined in model exposure medium within a concentration range spanning from 10^–9 to 5 × 10^–5 M of Cd or Pb and water extracts from soils. In parallel, the free metal ion concentrations ([M²⁺]) were measured by an ion exchange technique. Obtained results demonstrated that Cd and Pb accumulation by C. metallidurans was related to [M²⁺] in the solution. The adsorbed and intracellular M fractions were significantly reduced by nitrilotriacetic acid, Elliot or Pahokee Peat humic acids, as well as by a large excess of Ca, Mg and Zn. No effect on Cd and Pb bioaccumulation was observed in the presence of Mn, Cu or Co at a 10-fold excess for bacteria exposed to 10^–6 M of Cd or Pb. Adsorbed and intracellular metal determined when bacteria were exposed to water extracts of soil were in the same order as expected from the model experiments when complexation and competition effects are considered. The study emphasises the necessity of taking into account chemical site-specificity of soil solutions and water, including dissolved organic ligands, pH and the presence of other metals when developing metal removal technologies by living bacteria.

Additional keywords: adsorbed metal, bioremediation, humic acid, intracellular metal, soil.

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