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Reduction of palladium and production of nano-catalyst by Geobacter sulfurreducens

  • Environmental biotechnology
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Abstract

The present study is the first report on the ability of Geobacter sulfurreducens PCA to reduce Pd(II) and produce Pd(0) nano-catalyst, using acetate as electron donor at neutral pH (7.0 ± 0.1) and 30 °C. The microbial production of Pd(0) nanoparticles (NPs) was greatly enhanced by the presence of the redox mediator, anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS) when compared with controls lacking AQDS and cell-free controls. A cell dry weight (CDW) concentration of 800 mg/L provided a larger surface area for Pd(0) NPs deposition than a CDW concentration of 400 mg/L. Sample analysis by transmission electron microscopy revealed the formation of extracellular Pd(0) NPs ranging from 5 to 15 nm and X-ray diffraction confirmed the Pd(0) nature of the nano-catalyst produced. The present findings open the possibility for a new alternative to synthesize Pd(0) nano-catalyst and the potential application for microbial metal recovery from metal-containing waste streams.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by the Council of Science and Technology of Mexico (Grant SEP-CONACYT 155656). Pat-Espadas thanks to CONACYT for the PhD fellowship number 221388. Authors also thank Araceli Patron Soberano, Beatriz Rivera, Nicolas Cayetano, Maria del Carmen Rocha, Dulce Partida, and Guillermo Vidriales for their technical support. We thank Dr. Katy Juárez for providing the strain of G. sulfurreducens. Finally, we greatly acknowledge the support from the national laboratories LANBAMA and LINAN for their contribution in sample analyses.

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  1. División de Ciencias Ambientales, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (IPICYT), Camino a la Presa San José 2055, Col. Lomas 4ª. Sección, C. P. 78216, San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico

    Aurora M. Pat-Espadas, Elías Razo-Flores, J. Rene Rangel-Mendez & Francisco J. Cervantes

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  1. Aurora M. Pat-Espadas
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  2. Elías Razo-Flores
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  3. J. Rene Rangel-Mendez
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  4. Francisco J. Cervantes
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Correspondence to Francisco J. Cervantes.

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Pat-Espadas, A.M., Razo-Flores, E., Rangel-Mendez, J.R. et al. Reduction of palladium and production of nano-catalyst by Geobacter sulfurreducens . Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 97, 9553–9560 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-012-4640-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-012-4640-9

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