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Visible light induces bacteria to produce superoxide for manganese oxidation

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Abstract

Manganese oxides are widely distributed in soils and sediments, affecting the migration and transformation of heavy metals and organic pollutants. The microbial conversion of soluble Mn(II) into insoluble Mn(III/IV) oxides is considered to be the initial source of manganese oxides in the environment; however, whether this process is related to a physiological role remains unclear. Here, we explored the microbial manganese oxidation process under visible light by using coastal surface seawater microorganisms. Visible light greatly promotes the oxidation rate of Mn(II), and the average rate reaches 64 µmol/(L·d). The generated manganese oxides were then conducive to Mn(II) oxidation, thus the rapid manganese oxidation was the result of the combined action of biotic and abiotic, and biological function accounts for 88 % ± 4 %. Extracellular superoxide produced by microorganisms induced by visible light is the decisive factor for the rapid manganese oxidation in our study. But the production of these superoxides does not require the presence of Mn(II) ions, the Mn(II) oxidation process was more like an unintentional side reaction, which did not affect the growth of microorganisms. More than 70 % of heterotrophic microorganisms in nature are capable of producing superoxide, based on the oxidizing properties of free radicals, all these bacteria can participate in the geochemical cycle of manganese. What’s more, the superoxide oxidation pathway might be a significant natural source of manganese oxide.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 42021005 and 22025603).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China

    Fan Yang, Junpeng Li, Huan Wang, Xiaofeng Xiao, Rui Bai & Feng Zhao

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Fan Yang, Junpeng Li, Xiaofeng Xiao & Rui Bai

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  1. Fan Yang
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  2. Junpeng Li
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  3. Huan Wang
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  4. Xiaofeng Xiao
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  5. Rui Bai
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  6. Feng Zhao
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Correspondence to Feng Zhao.

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Highlights

• Term of manganese-oxidizing microorganisms should be reconsidered.

• Visible light induces heterotrophic bacteria to produce superoxide.

• Heterotrophic bacteria oxidize Mn(II) ions with a fast oxidation rate.

• Superoxide oxidizing Mn(II) ions is an unintended side reaction of bacteria.

• Superoxide is an important oxidation force of Mn(II) in the environment.

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Yang, F., Li, J., Wang, H. et al. Visible light induces bacteria to produce superoxide for manganese oxidation. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 17, 19 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-023-1619-y

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