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Uranium bioprecipitation mediated by yeasts utilizing organic phosphorus substrates

  • Environmental biotechnology
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Abstract

In this research, we have demonstrated the ability of several yeast species to mediate U(VI) biomineralization through uranium phosphate biomineral formation when utilizing an organic source of phosphorus (glycerol 2-phosphate disodium salt hydrate (C3H7Na2O6P·xH2O (G2P)) or phytic acid sodium salt hydrate (C6H18O24P6·xNa+·yH2O (PyA))) in the presence of soluble UO2(NO3)2. The formation of meta-ankoleite (K2(UO2)2(PO4)2·6(H2O)), chernikovite ((H3O)2(UO2)2(PO4)2·6(H2O)), bassetite (Fe++(UO2)2(PO4)2·8(H2O)), and uramphite ((NH4)(UO2)(PO4)·3(H2O)) on cell surfaces was confirmed by X-ray diffraction in yeasts grown in a defined liquid medium amended with uranium and an organic phosphorus source, as well as in yeasts pre-grown in organic phosphorus-containing media and then subsequently exposed to UO2(NO3)2. The resulting minerals depended on the yeast species as well as physico-chemical conditions. The results obtained in this study demonstrate that phosphatase-mediated uranium biomineralization can occur in yeasts supplied with an organic phosphate substrate as sole source of phosphorus. Further understanding of yeast interactions with uranium may be relevant to development of potential treatment methods for uranium waste and utilization of organic phosphate sources and for prediction of microbial impacts on the fate of uranium in the environment.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Martin Kierans (Electron Microscopy, Central Imaging Facility, Centre for Advanced Scientific Technologies, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, Scotland UK) for assistance with scanning electron microscopy. We thank Yongchang Fan (Division of Physics, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 4HN, Scotland UK) for assistance with X-ray microanalysis. G. M. Gadd also gratefully acknowledges an award under the Chinese Government’s 1000 Talents Plan with the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geomicrobiology Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, DD1 5EH, UK

    Xinjin Liang & Geoffrey Michael Gadd

  2. Concrete Technology Group, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, DD1 4HN, UK

    Laszlo Csetenyi

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  1. Xinjin Liang
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Correspondence to Geoffrey Michael Gadd.

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Liang, X., Csetenyi, L. & Gadd, G.M. Uranium bioprecipitation mediated by yeasts utilizing organic phosphorus substrates. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 100, 5141–5151 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-016-7327-9

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