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Anaerobic methane oxidation coupled to chromate reduction in a methane-based membrane biofilm batch reactor

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Abstract

Chromate can be reduced by methanotrophs in a membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR). In this study, we cultivated a Cr(VI)-reducing biofilm in a methane (CH4)-based membrane biofilm batch reactor (MBBR) under anaerobic conditions. The Cr(VI) reduction rate increased to 0.28 mg/L day when the chromate concentration was ≤ 2.2 mg/L but declined sharply to 0.01 mg/L day when the Cr(VI) concentration increased to 6 mg/L. Isotope tracing experiments showed that part of the 13C-labeled CH4 was transformed to 13CO2, suggesting that the biofilm may reduce Cr(VI) by anaerobic methane oxidation (AnMO). Microbial community analysis showed that a methanogen, i.e., Methanobacterium, dominated in the biofilm, suggesting that this genus is probably capable of carrying out AnMO. The abundance of Methylomonas, an aerobic methanotroph, decreased significantly, while Meiothermus, a potential chromate-reducing bacterium, was enriched in the biofilm. Overall, the results showed that the anaerobic environment inhibited the activity of aerobic methanotrophs while promoting AnMO bacterial enrichment, and high Cr(VI) loading reduced Cr(VI) flux by inhibiting the methane oxidation process.

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Funding

The authors greatly thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos. 21577123, 51878596) and Natural Science Funds for Distinguished Young Scholar of Zhejiang Province (LR17B070001) for their financial support.

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Author notes

  1. Qiu-Yi Dong and Zhen Wang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MOE Key Lab of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Qiu-Yi Dong, Zhen Wang, Ling-Dong Shi, Chun-Yu Lai & He-Ping Zhao

  2. Zhejiang Prov Key Lab Water Pollut Control & Envi, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

    Qiu-Yi Dong, Zhen Wang, Ling-Dong Shi & He-Ping Zhao

  3. Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, 4072, Queensland, Australia

    Chun-Yu Lai

Authors
  1. Qiu-Yi Dong
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  2. Zhen Wang
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  3. Ling-Dong Shi
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  4. Chun-Yu Lai
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  5. He-Ping Zhao
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Correspondence to Chun-Yu Lai or He-Ping Zhao.

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Dong, QY., Wang, Z., Shi, LD. et al. Anaerobic methane oxidation coupled to chromate reduction in a methane-based membrane biofilm batch reactor. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 26286–26292 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05709-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05709-7

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