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

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2005, p. 6345-6352, Vol. 71, No. 10
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.10.6345-6352.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Characterization of Microbial Communities Removing Nitrogen Oxides from Flue Gas: the BioDeNOx Process

Rajkumari Kumaraswamy,1 Udo van Dongen,1 J. Gijs Kuenen,1 Wiebe Abma,2 Mark C. M. van Loosdrecht,1 and Gerard Muyzer1*

Environmental Biotechnology Group, Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, NL-2628 BC Delft, The Netherlands,1 Paques B.V. NL-8561 EL Balk, The Netherlands2

Received 18 February 2005/ Accepted 20 May 2005

BioDeNOx is an integrated physicochemical and biological process for the removal of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from flue gases. In this process, the flue gas is purged through a scrubber containing a solution of Fe(II)EDTA2–, which binds the NOx to form an Fe(II)EDTA·NO2– complex. Subsequently, this complex is reduced in the bioreactor to dinitrogen by microbial denitrification. Fe(II)EDTA2–, which is oxidized to Fe(III)EDTA– by oxygen in the flue gas, is regenerated by microbial iron reduction. In this study, the microbial communities of both lab- and pilot-scale reactors were studied using culture-dependent and -independent approaches. A pure bacterial strain, KT-1, closely affiliated by 16S rRNA analysis to the gram-positive denitrifying bacterium Bacillus azotoformans, was obtained. DNA-DNA homology of the isolate with the type strain was 89%, indicating that strain KT-1 belongs to the species B. azotoformans. Strain KT-1 reduces Fe(II)EDTA·NO2– complex to N2 using ethanol, acetate, and Fe(II)EDTA2– as electron donors. It does not reduce Fe(III)EDTA–. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments showed the presence of bacteria closely affiliated with members of the phylum Deferribacteres, an Fe(III)-reducing group of bacteria. Fluorescent in situ hybridization with oligonucleotide probes designed for strain KT-1 and members of the phylum Deferribacteres showed that the latter were more dominant in both reactors.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Dept. of Biotechnology, Julianalaan 67, NL-2628 BC Delft, The Netherlands. Phone: 31-15-2781193. Fax: 31-15-2782355. E-mail: g.muyzer{at}tnw.tudelft.nl.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, October 2005, p. 6345-6352, Vol. 71, No. 10
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.10.6345-6352.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»