Abstract
The thermophilic anaerobic metal-reducing bacterium Thermoanaerobacter sp. X513 efficiently produces zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanoparticles (NPs) in laboratory-scale (≤ 24-L) reactors. To determine whether this process can be up-scaled and adapted for pilot-plant production while maintaining NP yield and quality, a series of pilot-plant scale experiments were performed using 100-L and 900-L reactors. Pasteurization and N2-sparging replaced autoclaving and boiling for deoxygenating media in the transition from small-scale to pilot plant reactors. Consecutive 100-L batches using new or recycled media produced ZnS NPs with highly reproducible ~2-nm average crystallite size (ACS) and yields of ~0.5 g L−1, similar to the small-scale batches. The 900-L pilot plant reactor produced ~320 g ZnS without process optimization or replacement of used medium; this quantity would be sufficient to form a ZnS thin film with ~120 nm thickness over 0.5 m width × 13 km length. At all scales, the bacteria produced significant amounts of acetic, lactic, and formic acids, which could be neutralized by the controlled addition of sodium hydroxide without the use of an organic pH buffer, eliminating 98 % of the buffer chemical costs. The final NP products were characterized using XRD, ICP-OES, TEM, FTIR, PL, DLS, HPLC, and C/N analyses, which confirmed that the growth medium without organic buffer enhanced the ZnS NP properties by reducing carbon and nitrogen surface coatings and supporting better dispersivity with similar ACS.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.References
Bai HJ, Zhang ZM, Gong J (2006) Biological synthesis of semiconductor zinc sulfide nanoparticles by immobilized Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Biotechnol Lett 28(14):1135–1139. doi:10.1007/s10529-006-9063-1
Bang JH, Helmich RJ, Suslick KS (2008) Nanostructured ZnS:Ni2+ photocatalysts prepared by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis. Adv Mater 20(13):2599–2693
Fang X, Bando Y, Gautamab UK, Zhaib T, Zeng H, Xub X, Liao M, Golberg D (2009) ZnO and ZnS nanostructures: ultraviolet-light emitters, lasers, and sensors. Crit Rev Solid State Mater Sci 34(3–4):190–223
Fang X, Zhai T, Gautam UK, Li L, Wu L, Bando Y, Goldberg D (2011) ZnS nanostructures: from synthesis to applications. Prog Mater Sci 56(2):175–287
Hennebel T, Van Nevel S, Verschuere S, DeCorte S, De Gusseme B, Cuvelier C, Fitts JP, van der Lelie D, Boon N, Verstraete W (2011) Palladium nanoparticles produced by fermentatively cultivated bacteria as catalyst for diatrizoate removal with biogenic hydrogen. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 91:1435–1445
Jain N, Bhargava A, Tarafdar JC, Singh SK, Panwar J (2013) A biomimetic approach towards synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 97:859–869
Jang GG, Gresback RG, Ivanov IN, Meyer III HM, Kidder M, Phelps TJ, Graham DE, Moon J-W (2015a) Size tunable elemental copper nanoparticles: extracellular synthesis by thermoanaerobic bacteria and capping molecules. J Mater Chem C 3:644–650
Jang GG, Jacobs CB, Ivanov IN, Joshi PC, Meyer III HM, Kidder M, Armstrong BL, Datskos PG, Graham DE, Moon J-W (2015b) In situ capping for size control of monochalcogenide (ZnS, CdS and SnS) nanocrystals produced by anaerobic metal-reducing bacteria. Nanotechnology 26:325602
Li Y, Li X, Yang C, Li Y (2004) Ligand-controlling synthesis and ordered assembly of ZnS nanorods and nannodots. J Phys Chem B 108(41):16002–16110
Ludi B, Olliges-Stadler I, Rossell MD, Niederberger M (2011) Extension of the benzyl alcohol route to metal sulfides: "nonhydrolytic" thio sol-gel synthesis of ZnS and SnS2. Chem Commun 47(18):5280–5282
Madden AS, Swindle AL, Beazley MJ, Moon J-W, Ravel B, Phelps TJ (2012) Long-term solid-phase fate of co-precipitated U(VI)-Fe(III) following biological iron reduction by Thermoanaerobacter. Am Mineral 97(10):1641–1652
Mala JGS, Rose C (2014) Facile production of ZnS quantum dot nanoparticles by Saccharomyces cerevisiae MTCC 2918. J Biotechnol 170:73–78
Mohagheghpour M, Rabiee M, Moztarzadeh F, Tahriri M, Jafarbeglou M, Bizari D, Eslami H (2009) Controllable synthesis, characterization and optical properties of ZnS:Mn nanoparticles as a novel biosensor. Mater Sci Eng, C 29(6):1842–1848
Moon J-W, Ivanov IN, Duty CE, Love LJ, Rondinone AJ, Wang W, Li Y-L, Madden AS, Mosher JJ, Hu MZ, Suresh AK, Rawn CJ, Jung H, Lauf RJ, Phelps TJ (2013) Scalable economic extracellular synthesis of CdS nanostructured particles by a non-pathogenic thermophile. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 40(11):1263–1271
Moon J-W, Ivanov IN, Joshi PC, Armstrong BL, Wang W, Jung H, Rondinone AJ, Jellison Jr G, Meyer III HM, Jang GG, Meisner RA, Duty CE, Phelps TJ (2014) Scalable production of microbially-mediated ZnS nanoparticles and application to functional thin films. Acta Biomater 10(10):4474–4483
Moon J-W, Rawn CJ, Rondinone AJ, Love LJ, Roh Y, Lauf RJ, Phelps TJ (2010a) Large-scale production of magnetic nanoparticles using bacterial fermentation. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 37(10):1023–1031
Moon J-W, Rawn CJ, Rondinone AJ, Wang W, Vali H, Yeary LW, Love LJ, Kirkham MJ, Gu B, Phelps TJ (2010b) Crystallite sizes and lattice parameters of nano-biomagnetite particles. J Nanosci Nanotechnol 10(12):8298–8306
Moon J-W, Roh Y, Lauf RJ, Vali H, Yeary LW, Phelps TJ (2007a) Microbial preparation of metal-substituted magnetite nanoparticles. J Microbiol Methods 70(1):150–158
Moon J-W, Roh Y, Yeary LW, Lauf RJ, Rawn CJ, Love LJ, Phelps TJ (2007b) Microbial formation of lanthanide-substituted magnetites by Thermoanaerobacter sp TOR-39. Extremophiles 11(6):859–867
Moreau J-W, Weber PK, Martin MC, Gilbert B, Hutcheon ID, Banfield JF (2007) Extracellular proteins limit the dispersal of biogenic nanoparticles. Science 316(5831):1600–1603
NIOSH (2013) Current Strategies for Engineering Controls in Nanomaterial Production and Downstream Handling Processes. DHHS (NIOSH), Cincinnati, OH
Okabe S, Nielsen PH, Jones WL, Characklis WG (1995) Sulfide product inhibition of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans in batch and continuous cultures. Water Res 29(2):571–578
Park TJ, Lee KG, Lee SY (2016) Advances in microbial biosynthesis of metal nanoparticles. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 100(2):521–534
Roh Y, Liu SV, Li G, Huang H, Phelps TJ, Zhou J (2002) Isolation and characterization of metal-reducing Thermoanaerobacter strains from deep subsurface environments of the Piceance Basin, Colorado. Appl Environ Microbiol 68(12):6013–6020
Salunke BK, Sawant SS, Lee S-I, Kim BS (2015) Comparative study of MnO2 nanoparticle synthesis by marine bacterium Saccharophagus degradans and yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 99(13):5419–5427
Schröfel A, Kratošová G, Šafarˇík I, Šafarˇíková M, Raška I, Shor LM (2014) Applications of biosynthesized metallic nanoparticles – a review. Acta Biomater 10(10):4023–4042
Song H, Leam Y-M, Kim Y-B, Yu Y-T (2008) Synthesis and fluorecence properties of pure and metal-doped spherical ZnS particles from EDTA-metal complexes. J Phys Chem Solids 69(1):153–160
Villadsen J, Nielsen J, Lidén G (2011) Scale-up of bioprocesses Bioreaction engineering principles. Springer, New York, pp. 497–546
Vishnivetskaya TA, Hamilton-Brehm SD, Podar M, Mosher JJ, Palumbo AV, Phelps TJ, Keller M, Elkins GE (2015) Community analysis of plant biomass-degrading microorganisms from Obsidian Pool, Yellowstone National Park. Environ Microbiol 69(2):333–345
Wang X, Shi J, Feng Z, Li M, Li C (2011) Visible emission characteristics from different defects of ZnS nanocrystals. Phys Chem Chem Phys 13(10):4715–4723
Wu Q, Cao H, Zhang S, Zhang X, Rabinovich D (2006) Generation and optical properties of monodispersed wurtizte-type ZnS microspheres. Inorg Chem 45(18):7316–7322
X-Rite (2009) Munsell soil color charts. X-Rite Inc., Grand Rapids, MI
Yu S, Yoshimura M (2006) Shape and phase control of ZnS nanocrystals: template fabrication of wurtzite ZnS single-crystal nanosheets and ZnO flake-like dendrites from a lamellar molecular precursor ZnS.(NH2CH2CH2NH2)0.5. Adv Mater 14(4):296–300
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the US Department of Energy (DOE), Advanced Manufacturing Office, Low Temperature Material Synthesis Program (CPS 24762). FTIR analysis performed by M.K. Kidder was supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division. ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for DOE under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725. The authors thank Dr. C.B. Jacobs at ORNL for constructive discussion, Dr. J, Zhu for TEM images and S.R. Cline and J.P. Dugger for assistance designing the pilot plant and safety procedures. We also thank Stout Tanks & Kettles, LLC, for the customized reactor design and construction.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.
Additional information
This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes. The Department of Energy will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http:// energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan).
Electronic Supplementary Material
ESM 1
(PDF 942 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Moon, JW., Phelps, T.J., Fitzgerald Jr, C.L. et al. Manufacturing demonstration of microbially mediated zinc sulfide nanoparticles in pilot-plant scale reactors. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 100, 7921–7931 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-016-7556-y
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-016-7556-y