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Construction and carbon source optimization of a microbial-plant coupled reactor for treating acid mine drainage

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Abstract

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is recognized as one of the most serious contamination sources in the nonferrous metal mining industry. In this study, aerobic strains VCZ02 and VCZ09, which were identified as Leclercia adecarboxylata and Klebsiella aerogenes, were screened from 11 strains of copper-zinc-resistant bacteria in the soil of the Dexing copper mine with Cu2+/Zn2+ removal rates of 46.32%/41.03% and 57.96%/67.05%, respectively. The composition of extracellular polymers plays an important role in the removal of heavy metals by these two strains. A mixed community consisting of VCZ02 and VCZ09 was coupled with Sagittaria trifolia L.var.sinensis (Sims) Mak to construct a microbial-plant coupled reactor to remediate AMD. Under the optimal condition of sodium acetate as carbon source, the pH of AMD increased from less than 5 to above 6.5, showing Cu2+/Zn2+ removal rates of 70–80% and above 30%, respectively. SEM–EDS results showed that VZC02 and VZC09 in the coupled reactor also helped with resisting the toxicity of heavy metals to plants by forming biofilms on the root surface and increasing the content of heavy metals on the surface of roots, thus improving the treatment effect of plants. This study provides a theoretical basis for the bioremediation of AMD and its application.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the National Key R&D Program of China (2019YFC1805002) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51874018).

Funding

This study was funded by the National Key R&D Program of China (2019YFC1805002) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51874018).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Hai Lin, Yalu Tang & Yingbo Dong

  2. Beijing Key Laboratory On Resource-Oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, Beijing, 100083, China

    Hai Lin & Yingbo Dong

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  1. Hai Lin
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  2. Yalu Tang
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Contributions

Conceptualization: Hai Lin. Methodology: Hai Lin. Formal analysis and investigation: Hai Lin. Writing original draft preparation: Yalu Tang. Writing, review, and editing: Yalu Tang. Funding acquisition: Yingbo Dong. Resources: Yingbo Dong. Supervision: Yingbo Dong.

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Correspondence to Yingbo Dong.

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Communicated by Elena Maestri

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Lin, H., Tang, Y. & Dong, Y. Construction and carbon source optimization of a microbial-plant coupled reactor for treating acid mine drainage. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 78862–78873 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21329-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21329-0

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