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An arsenic(III)‐oxidizing bacterial population: selection, characterization, and performance in reactors
Author(s) -
BattagliaBrunet F.,
Dictor M.C.,
Garrido F.,
Crouzet C.,
Morin D.,
Dekeyser K.,
Clarens M.,
Baranger P.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.889
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2672
pISSN - 1364-5072
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2672.2002.01726.x
Subject(s) - oxidizing agent , arsenic , selection (genetic algorithm) , population , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , environmental chemistry , medicine , computer science , environmental health , organic chemistry , artificial intelligence
Aims: To select an autotrophic arsenic(III)‐oxidizing population, named CASO1, and to evaluate the performance of the selected bacteria in reactors.
Methods and Results: An As(III)‐containing medium without organic substrate was used to select CASO1 from a mining environment. As(III) oxidation was studied under batch and continuous conditions. The main organisms present in CASO1 were identified with molecular biology tools. CASO1 exhibited significant As(III)‐oxidizing activity between pH 3 and 8. The optimum temperature was 25°C. As(III) oxidation was still observed in the presence of 1000 mg l −1 As(III). In continuous culture mode, the As(III) oxidation rate reached 160 mg l −1 h −1 . The CASO1 consortium contains at least two organisms – strain b3, which is phylogenetically close to Ralstonia picketii , and strain b6, which is related to the genus Thiomonas . The divergence in 16S rDNA sequences between b6 and the closest related organism was 5·9%, suggesting that b6 may be a new species.
Conclusions: High As(III)‐oxidizing activity can be obtained without organic nutrient supply, using a bacterial population from a mining environment.
Significance and Impact of the Study: The biological oxidation of arsenite by the CASO1 population is of particular interest for decontamination of arsenic‐contaminated waste or groundwater.