This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ganesh, R. Articles by Sayler, G. S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ganesh, R. Articles by Sayler, G. S. GeoRef GeoRef Citation Agricola Articles by Ganesh, R. Articles by Sayler, G. S.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl. Environ. Microbiol., Nov 1997, 4385-4391, Vol 63, No. 11
Copyright © 1997, American Society for Microbiology

Reduction of Hexavalent Uranium from Organic Complexes by Sulfate- and Iron-Reducing Bacteria

R Ganesh, KG Robinson, GD Reed and GS Sayler
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Department of Microbiology, and Center for Environmental Microbiology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996

The influence of organic-hexavalent-uranium [U(VI)] complexation on U(VI) reduction by a sulfate-reducing bacterium (Desulfovibrio desulfuricans) and an iron-reducing bacterium (Shewanella alga) was evaluated. Four aliphatic ligands (acetate, malonate, oxalate, and citrate) and an aromatic ligand (tiron [4,5-dihydroxy-1,3-benzene disulfonic acid]) were used to study complexed-uranium bioavailability. The trends in uranium reduction varied with the nature and the amount of U(VI)-organic complex formed and the type of bacteria present. D. desulfuricans rapidly reduced uranium from a monodentate aliphatic (acetate) complex. However, reduction from multidentate aliphatic complexes (malonate, oxalate, and citrate) was slower. A decrease in the amount of organic-U(VI) complex in solution significantly increased the rate of reduction. S. alga reduced uranium more rapidly from multidentate aliphatic complexes than from monodentate aliphatic complexes. The rate of reduction decreased with a decrease in the amount of multidentate complexes present. Uranium from an aromatic (tiron) complex was readily available for reduction by D. desulfuricans, while an insignificant level of U(VI) from the tiron complex was reduced by S. alga. These results indicate that selection of bacteria for rapid uranium reduction will depend on the organic composition of waste streams.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Wu, Q., Sanford, R. A., Loffler, F. E. (2006). Uranium(VI) Reduction by Anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans Strain 2CP-C.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 3608-3614 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Groh, J. L., Luo, Q., Ballard, J. D., Krumholz, L. R. (2005). A Method Adapting Microarray Technology for Signature-Tagged Mutagenesis of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans G20 and Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 in Anaerobic Sediment Survival Experiments. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 7064-7074 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• DiChristina, T. J., Fredrickson, J. K., Zachara, J. M. (2005). Enzymology of Electron Transport: Energy Generation With Geochemical Consequences. Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry 59: 27-52 [Full Text]  
• North, N. N., Dollhopf, S. L., Petrie, L., Istok, J. D., Balkwill, D. L., Kostka, J. E. (2004). Change in Bacterial Community Structure during In Situ Biostimulation of Subsurface Sediment Cocontaminated with Uranium and Nitrate. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 4911-4920 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Suzuki, Y., Kelly, S. D., Kemner, K. M., Banfield, J. F. (2003). Microbial Populations Stimulated for Hexavalent Uranium Reduction in Uranium Mine Sediment. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 1337-1346 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Payne, R. B., Gentry, D. M., Rapp-Giles, B. J., Casalot, L., Wall, J. D. (2002). Uranium Reduction by Desulfovibrio desulfuricans Strain G20 and a Cytochrome c3 Mutant. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 3129-3132 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Spear, J. R., Figueroa, L. A., Honeyman, B. D. (2000). Modeling Reduction of Uranium U(VI) under Variable Sulfate Concentrations by Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66: 3711-3721 [Abstract] [Full Text]