Open AccessMethods for environmental monitoring of DOE waste disposal and storage sites. Semiannual progress report, April 1--September 30, 1986
Author(s) -
N Revis,
T Osborne,
C Hadden,
S Benson
Publication year - 1986
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/532511
Subject(s) - sulfate reducing bacteria , mercury (programming language) , sulfate , cadmium , hydrogen sulfide , chemistry , sulfide , environmental chemistry , bacteria , zinc , heavy metals , metal , aqueous solution , inorganic chemistry , sulfur , geology , organic chemistry , paleontology , computer science , programming language
Sulfate-reducing bacteria were grown in media containing (1) mercury and (2) a mixture of heavy metals to determine if these bacteria could effectively precipitate heavy metals from an aqueous solutions. Previous studies have shown that (1) sulfate-reducing bacteria produce hydrogen sulfide and (2) that hydrogen sulfide reacts with various heavy metals producing insoluble complexes. Data from these studies showed that when bacteria were incubated with heavy metals for 2 to 4 days a marked decrease in the solubility of mercury, lead and cadmium resulted. For example, after incubation with sulfate-reducing bacteria 90% of the mercury, zinc, lead and cadmium, and 60% of the copper and iron were filterable. The results suggest that sulfate-reducing bacteria may be used to remove heavy metal contaminants from aqueous solutions