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Aluminum and sulphate removal by a highly Al-resistant dissimilatory sulphate-reducing bacteria community

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Abstract

A highly Al-resistant dissimilatory sulphate-reducing bacteria community was isolated from sludge of the wetland of Urgeiriça mine (community W). This community showed excellent sulphate removal at the presence of Al3+. After 27 days of incubation, 73, 86 and 81% of sulphate was removed in the presence of 0.48, 0.90 and 1.30 mM of Al3+, respectively. Moreover, Al3+ was simultaneously removed: 55, 85 and 78% of metal was removed in the presence of 0.48, 0.90 and 1.30 mM of Al3+, respectively. The dissociation of aluminium-lactate soluble complexes due to lactate consumption by dissimilatory sulphate-reducing bacteria can be responsible for aluminum removal, which probably precipitates as insoluble aluminium hydroxide. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene showed that this community was mainly composed by bacteria closely related to Desulfovibrio desulfuricans. However, bacteria affiliated to Proteus and Ralstonia were also present in the community.

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Acknowledgment

The authors wish to thank Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) for funding this research through the PhD grant SFRH/BD/29677/2006.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Química e Farmácia, Faculdade de Ciências e de Tecnologia, Centro de Ciências do Mar (CCMAR), Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal

    Mónica Martins, Rita Taborda, Ana Assunção & Maria Clara Costa

  2. Faculdade de Ciências e de Tecnologia, Centro de Biodiversidade, Genómica Integrativa e Funcional (BioFIG), Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal

    Gonçalo Silva

  3. Serviço de Anatomia Patológica, Hospital Curry Cabral, Campo Grande, Lisboa, Portugal

    António Pedro Matos

  4. Faculdade de Ciências, Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar (CESAM)–Polo de Lisboa, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Lisboa, 1749-016, Portugal

    António Pedro Matos

Authors
  1. Mónica Martins
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  2. Rita Taborda
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  3. Gonçalo Silva
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  4. Ana Assunção
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  5. António Pedro Matos
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  6. Maria Clara Costa
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Correspondence to Maria Clara Costa.

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Martins, M., Taborda, R., Silva, G. et al. Aluminum and sulphate removal by a highly Al-resistant dissimilatory sulphate-reducing bacteria community. Biodegradation 23, 693–703 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-012-9545-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-012-9545-x

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