Effects of anode/cathode electroactive microorganisms on arsenic removal with organic/inorganic carbon supplied

Liuying Wang; Zhenyue Lin; Lu Chang; Junjie Chen; Shenhua Huang; Xiaofeng Yi; Mingyu Luo; Yuanpeng Wang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149356

Effects of anode/cathode electroactive microorganisms on arsenic removal with organic/inorganic carbon supplied

Sci Total Environ. 2021 Dec 1:798:149356. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149356. Epub 2021 Jul 31.

Authors

Liuying Wang¹, Zhenyue Lin², Lu Chang¹, Junjie Chen¹, Shenhua Huang¹, Xiaofeng Yi¹, Mingyu Luo¹, Yuanpeng Wang³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, 361005, China.
² Institute of Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou 350108, China.
³ Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, 361005, China. Electronic address: wypp@xmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 34375251
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149356

Abstract

This study reports the effects of an external voltage (0 V, 0.4 V and 0.9 V) on soil arsenic (As) release and sequestration when amended with organic carbon (NaAc) and inorganic carbon (NaHCO₃), respectively, in a soil bioelectrochemistry system (BES). The results demonstrated that although an external voltage had no effect on the As removal capacity in an oligotrophic environment fueled with NaHCO_3, 93.6% of As(III) in the supernatant was removed at 0.9 V with an NaAc amendment. Interestingly, the content of As detected on the electrodes was higher than that removed from the supernatant, implying a continuous release of soil As under external voltages and rapid adsorption onto the electrodes, especially the cathode. In addition, the species of As on the cathode were similar to those in the supernatant (the As(III)/As(V) ratio was approximately 3:1), indicating that the removal capacity was independent of preoxidation. From the viewpoint of electroactive microorganisms (EABs), the relative abundances of the arrA gene and Geobacter genus were specifically enriched at the anode, thus signifying stimulation of the reduction and release of soil As in the anode region. By comparison, Bacillus was particularly abundant at the cathode, which could contribute to the oxidation and sequestration of As in the cathode region. Additionally, specific extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) secreted by EABs could combine with As, which was followed by electrostatic attraction to the cathode under the effect of an electric field. Furthermore, the formation of secondary minerals and coprecipitation in the presence of iron (Fe) may have also contributed to As removal from solution. The insights from this study will enable us to further understand the biogeochemical cycle of soil As and to explore the feasibility of in situ As bioremediation techniques, combining the aspects of microbial and physicochemical processes in soil bioelectrochemical systems.

Keywords: Arsenic removal; Bacillus; Extracellular polymeric substance; Geobacter; Soil bioelectrochemical system.

MeSH terms

Arsenic* / analysis
Carbon
Electrodes
Soil
Soil Pollutants* / analysis

Substances

Soil
Soil Pollutants
Carbon
Arsenic