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Simultaneous nitrate and chromium removal mechanism in a pyrite-involved mixotrophic biofilter

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Abstract

Microbially mediated NO3−-N and Cr(VI) reduction is being recognized as an eco-friendly and cost-effective remediation strategy. Iron sulfide mineral, as a natural inorganic electron donor, has a strong influence on NO3−-N and Cr(VI) transformation, respectively. However, little is known about the simultaneous nitrate and chromium removal performance and underlying mechanism in an iron sulfide mineral-involved mixotrophic biofilter. This study demonstrated that the NO3−-N and Cr(VI) removal efficiencies were stable at 62 ± 8% and 56 ± 10%, and most of them were eliminated in the 0–100-mm region of the biofilter. Cr(VI) was reduced to insoluble Cr(III) via microbial and chemical pathways, which was confirmed by the SEM–EDS morphology and the XPS spectra of biofilm and pyrite particles. SO42− was as a main byproduct of pyrite oxidation; however, the bacterial SO42− reduction synchronously occurred, evidenced by the variations of TOC and SO42− concentrations. These results suggested that there were complicated and intertwined biochemical relations between NO3−-N/Cr(VI)/SO42−/DO (electron acceptors) and pyrite/organics (electron donors). Further investigation indicated that both the maximal biomass and greatest denitrifiers’ relative abundances in microbial sample S1 well explained why the pollutants were removed in the 0–100-mm region. A variety of denitrifiers such as Pseudoxanthomona, Acidovorax, and Simplicispira were enriched, which probably were responsible for both NO3−-N and Cr(VI) removal. Our findings advance the understanding of simultaneous nitrate and chromium removal in pyrite-involved mixotrophic systems and facilitate the new strategy development for nitrate and chromium remediation.

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Funding

This work was supported by Shanghai Agriculture Applied Technology and Development Program (2020–02-08–00-07-F01483), and Shanghai Sailing Program (20YF1400200).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fishery Machinery and Instrument Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fisheries Sciences, Shanghai, 200092, China

    Haigeng Zhang & Yulei Zhang

  2. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201600, China

    Zhongshuo Xu, Panpan Zhou & Yuhui Wang

Authors
  1. Haigeng Zhang
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  2. Zhongshuo Xu
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  3. Panpan Zhou
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  4. Yulei Zhang
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  5. Yuhui Wang
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Contributions

Haigeng Zhang: conceptualization, data curation, writing. Zhongshuo Xu: conceptualization, data curation, writing, supervision. Panpan Zhou: investigation. Yulei Zhang: writing-review and editing. Yuhui Wang: writing-review and editing.

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Correspondence to Zhongshuo Xu.

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Zhang, H., Xu, Z., Zhou, P. et al. Simultaneous nitrate and chromium removal mechanism in a pyrite-involved mixotrophic biofilter. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 123882–123892 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-31070-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-31070-x

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