1. Growth of naturally occurring microbial isolates in metal-citrate medium and bioremediation of metal-citrate wastes
- Author
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Russell Ap Thomas, Lynne E. Macaskie, Alan J Beswick, Rachel Moller, and Gabriela Basnakova
- Subjects
Ion exchange ,biology ,Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment ,Chemistry ,General Chemical Engineering ,Organic Chemistry ,Inorganic chemistry ,Bioinorganic chemistry ,Human decontamination ,Biodegradation ,biology.organism_classification ,Pollution ,Pseudomonas putida ,Inorganic Chemistry ,Fuel Technology ,Bioremediation ,Chelation ,Waste Management and Disposal ,Effluent ,Biotechnology ,Nuclear chemistry - Abstract
The use of citrate as a chelating agent in decontamination operations is of environmental concern as it can mobilize toxic heavy metals if discharged into the environment. Many heavy metal-citrate complexes are recalcitrant to biodegradation. Citrate-utilizing strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas putida were isolated from a mixed culture which had been maintained with EDTA as the carbon source for 2 years. Citrate (5 mM) was used as the sole carbon source in medium supplemented with 5 mM Cd, Zn, Cu, Fe, Co, or Ni. Removal of the metals from the medium was promoted by the incorporation of inorganic phosphate as a precipitant, with formation of nickel and cobalt phosphates confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction analysis. The potential of P putida to biodegrade citrate in a nickel–citrate secondary waste was illustrated using a fill-and-draw reactor supplied with effluent from a bioinorganic ion exchange column that had been used previously to concentrate nickel from aqueous solution. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry
- Published
- 2000
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