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Metal biosorption in lignocellulosic biofuel biorefinery effluent: an initial step towards sustainability of water resources

  • Environmental Microbiology
  • Published:
Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology

Abstract

Biosorption of metals by microorganisms is a promising technology to remove accumulated non-process elements in highly recycled biorefinery process water. Removal of these elements would enable greater water reuse and reduce the environmental impact of effluent discharge. A model lignocellulosic ethanol biorefinery wastewater was created based on pulp mill effluent. This generated a wastewater with an environmentally realistic high loading of dissolved natural organic matter (900 mg/l), a potentially important factor influencing metal biosorption. Analysis of feedstock and pulp mill effluent indicated that Mn and Zn are likely to be problematic in highly recycled lignocellulosic ethanol biorefinery process water. Therefore, the growth of several bacteria and fungi from existing collections, and some isolated from pulp mill effluent were tested in the model wastewater spiked with Mn and Zn (0.2 mM). Wastewater isolates grew the best in the wastewater. Metal uptake varied by species and was much greater for Zn than Mn. A bacterium, Novosphingobium nitrogenifigens Y88T, removed the most metal per unit biomass, 35 and 17 mg Mn/g. No other organism tested decreased the Mn concentration. A yeast, Candida tropicalis, produced the most biomass and removed the most total metal (38 % of Zn), while uptake per unit biomass was 24 mg Zn/g. These results indicate that microorganisms can remove significant amounts of metals in wastewater with high concentrations of dissolved natural organic matter. Metal sorption by autochthonous microorganisms in an anaerobic bioreactor may be able to extend water reuse and therefore lower the water consumption of future biorefineries.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Sally Gaw and Rob Stainthorpe (University of Canterbury) for metals analysis; Matt Stott and Chris Daughney (Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, GNS) for valuable scientific input; Phil Novis (Landcare Research) for providing Scenedesmus sp. and Chlorella sp.; Susie Wood (Cawthron Research) for providing Microcystis wesenbergii and other algae; Tripti Singh (Scion, Rotorua) for providing the Trichoderma viride, Trametes versicolor and Antrodia xantha; Ben MacDonald and Katrin Walbert (Scion). Funding provided by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST) programme CO4 × 0801.

Conflict of interest

This research was funded by the Foundation of Research, Science and Technology (FRST). The funding agency had no scientific input into the study, and the authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical standard

All experiments were conducted in accordance with New Zealand law, with particular attention to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry/Environmental Risk Management Authority policies regarding PC1 and PC2 containment facilities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Scion, 49 Sala street, Rotorua, 3010, New Zealand

    Amanda J. Palumbo, Sean C. Taylor, Sarah L. Addison & Alison H. Slade

  2. School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand

    Chris N. Glover

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  1. Amanda J. Palumbo
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Correspondence to Amanda J. Palumbo.

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Palumbo, A.J., Taylor, S.C., Addison, S.L. et al. Metal biosorption in lignocellulosic biofuel biorefinery effluent: an initial step towards sustainability of water resources. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 39, 1345–1356 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-012-1129-6

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