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 HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by von Canstein, H.
Right arrow Articles by Wagner-Döbler, I.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by von Canstein, H.
Right arrow Articles by Wagner-Döbler, I.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by von Canstein, H.
Right arrow Articles by Wagner-Döbler, I.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, December 1999, p. 5279-5284, Vol. 65, No. 12
0099-2240/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Removal of Mercury from Chloralkali Electrolysis Wastewater by a Mercury-Resistant Pseudomonas putida Strain

H. von Canstein, Y. Li, K. N. Timmis, W.-D. Deckwer, and I. Wagner-Döbler*

Division of Microbiology, National Research Center for Biotechnology (GBF), D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany

Received 13 July 1999/Accepted 15 September 1999

A mercury-resistant bacterial strain which is able to reduce ionic mercury to metallic mercury was used to remediate in laboratory columns mercury-containing wastewater produced during electrolytic production of chlorine. Factory effluents from several chloralkali plants in Europe were analyzed, and these effluents contained total mercury concentrations between 1.6 and 7.6 mg/liter and high chloride concentrations (up to 25 g/liter) and had pH values which were either acidic (pH 2.4) or alkaline (pH 13.0). A mercury-resistant bacterial strain, Pseudomonas putida Spi3, was isolated from polluted river sediments. Biofilms of P. putida Spi3 were grown on porous carrier material in laboratory column bioreactors. The bioreactors were continuously fed with sterile synthetic model wastewater or nonsterile, neutralized, aerated chloralkali wastewater. We found that sodium chloride concentrations up to 24 g/liter did not inhibit microbial mercury retention and that mercury concentrations up to 7 mg/liter could be treated with the bacterial biofilm with no loss of activity. When wastewater samples from three different chloralkali plants in Europe were used, levels of mercury retention efficiency between 90 and 98% were obtained. Thus, microbial mercury removal is a potential biological treatment for chloralkali electrolysis wastewater.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: GBF, Mascheroder Weg 1, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany. Phone: 49-531-6181 408. Fax: 49-531-6181 411. E-mail: iwd{at}gbf.de.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, December 1999, p. 5279-5284, Vol. 65, No. 12
0099-2240/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • von Canstein, H., Ogawa, J., Shimizu, S., Lloyd, J. R. (2008). Secretion of Flavins by Shewanella Species and Their Role in Extracellular Electron Transfer. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 615-623 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Vilchez, R., Pozo, C., Gomez, M. A., Rodelas, B., Gonzalez-Lopez, J. (2007). Dominance of sphingomonads in a copper-exposed biofilm community for groundwater treatment. Microbiology 153: 325-337 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Carpentier, W., Sandra, K., De Smet, I., Brige, A., De Smet, L., Van Beeumen, J. (2003). Microbial Reduction and Precipitation of Vanadium by Shewanella oneidensis. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 3636-3639 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Teitzel, G. M., Parsek, M. R. (2003). Heavy Metal Resistance of Biofilm and Planktonic Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 2313-2320 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • von Canstein, H., Kelly, S., Li, Y., Wagner-Dobler, I. (2002). Species Diversity Improves the Efficiency of Mercury-Reducing Biofilms under Changing Environmental Conditions. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 2829-2837 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • von Canstein, H., Li, Y., Leonhauser, J., Haase, E., Felske, A., Deckwer, W.-D., Wagner-Dobler, I. (2002). Spatially Oscillating Activity and Microbial Succession of Mercury-Reducing Biofilms in a Technical-Scale Bioremediation System. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 1938-1946 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Wagner-Döbler, I., Lünsdorf, H., Lübbehüsen, T., von Canstein, H. F., Li, Y. (2000). Structure and Species Composition of Mercury-Reducing Biofilms. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66: 4559-4563 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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