Browsing by Author "Dohnalkova, Alice"

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Impact of different environmental conditions on the aggregation of biogenic U(IV) nanoparticles synthesized by Desulfovibrio alaskensis G20
(2016-12) Şengör, S. Sevinç; Singh, Gursharan; Dohnalkova, Alice; Spycher, Nicolas; Ginn, Timothy R.; Peyton, Brent M.; Sani, Rajesh K.
This study investigates the impact of specific environmental conditions on the formation of colloidal U(IV) nanoparticles by the sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB, Desulfovibrio alaskensis G20). The reduction of soluble U(VI) to less soluble U(IV) was quantitatively investigated under growth and non-growth conditions in bicarbonate or 1,4-piperazinediethanesulfonic acid (PIPES) buffered environments. The results showed that under non-growth conditions, the majority of the reduced U nanoparticles aggregated and precipitated out of solution. High resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed that only a very small fraction of cells had reduced U precipitates in the periplasmic spaces in the presence of PIPES buffer, whereas in the presence of bicarbonate buffer, reduced U was also observed in the cytoplasm with greater aggregation of biogenic U(IV) particles at higher initial U(VI) concentrations. The same experiments were repeated under growth conditions using two different electron donors (lactate and pyruvate) and three electron acceptors (sulfate, fumarate, and thiosulfate). In contrast to the results of the non-growth experiments, even after 0.2 μm filtration, the majority of biogenic U(IV) remained in the aqueous phase resulting in potentially mobile biogenic U(IV) nanoparticles. Size fractionation results showed that U(IV) aggregates were between 18 and 200 nm in diameter, and thus could be very mobile. The findings of this study are helpful to assess the size and potential mobility of reduced U nanoparticles under different environmental conditions, and would provide insights on their potential impact affecting U(VI) bioremediation efforts at subsurface contaminated sites.
Iron sulfides and sulfur species produced at hematite surfaces in the presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria
(2001-01) Neal, Andrew L.; Techkarnjanaruk, Somkiet; Dohnalkova, Alice; McMready, D.; Peyton, Brent M.; Geesey, Gill G.
In the presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria (desulfovibrio desulfuricans) hematite (a-Fe2O3) dissolution is affected potentially by a combination of enzymatic (hydrogenase) reduction and hydrogen sulfide oxidation. As a consequence, ferrous ions are free to react with excess H2S to form insoluble ferrous sulfides. X-ray photoelectron spectra indicate binding energies similar to ferrous sulfides having pyrrhotite-like structures (Fe2p3/2 708.4 eV; S2p3/2 161.5 eV). Other sulfur species identified at the surface include sulfate, sulfite and polysulfides. Thin film X-ray diffraction identifies a limited number of peaks, the principal one of which may be assigned to the hexagonal pyrrhotite (102) peak (d = 2.09 Å; 22 = 43.22°), at the hematite surface within 3 months exposure to sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). High-resolution transmission electron microscopy identifies the presence of a hexagonal structure associated with observed crystallites. Although none of the analytical techniques employed provide unequivocal evidence as to the nature of the ferrous sulfide formed in the presence of SRB at hematite surfaces, we conclude from the available evidence that a pyrrhotite stoichiometry and structure is the best description of the sulfides we observe. Such ferrous sulfide production is inconsistent with previous reports in which mackinawite and greigite were products of biological sulfate reduction (Rickard 1969a; Herbert et al., 1998: Benning et al., 1999). The apparent differences in stoichiometry may be related to sulfide activity as the mineral surface, controlled in part by H2S autooxidation in the presence of iron oxides. Due to the relative stability of pyrrhotite at low temperatures, ferrous sulfide dissolution is likely to be reduced compared to the more commonly observed products of SRB activity. Additionally, biogenic pyrrhotite formation will also have implications for geomagnetic field behavior of sediments.
Multiple mechanisms of uranium immobilization by Cellulomonas sp. strain ES6
(2011-02) Sivaswamy, V.; Boyanov, M. I.; Peyton, Brent M.; Viamajala, Sridhar; Gerlach, Robin; Apel, William A.; Sani, Rajesh K.; Dohnalkova, Alice; Kemner, K. M.; Borch, Thomas
Removal of hexavalent uranium (U(VI)) from aqueous solution was studied using a gram-positive facultative anaerobe, Cellulomonas sp. strain ES6, under anaerobic, non-growth conditions in bicarbonate and PIPES buffers.Inorganic phosphate was released by cells during the experiments providing ligands for formation of insoluble U(VI) phosphates. Phosphate release was most probably the result of anaerobic hydrolysis of intracellular polyphosphates accumulated by ES6 during aerobic growth. Microbial reduction of U(VI) to U(IV) was also observed. However, the relative magnitudes of U(VI) removal by abiotic (phosphate-based) precipitation and microbial reduction depended on the buffer chemistry. In bicarbonate buffer, X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy showed that U in the solid phase was present primarily as a non-uraninite U(IV) phase, whereas in PIPES buffer, U precipitates consisted primarily of U(VI)-phosphate. In both bicarbonate and PIPES buffer, net release of cellular phosphate was measured to be lower than that observed in U-free controls suggesting simultaneous precipitation of U and POâ‚„Â³â ». In PIPES, U(VI) phosphates formed a significant portion of U precipitates and mass balance estimates of U and P along with XAFS data corroborate this hypothesis. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) of samples from PIPES treatments indeed showed both extracellular and intracellular accumulation of U solids with nanometer sized lath structures that contained U and P. In bicarbonate, however, more phosphate was removed than required to stoichiometrically balance the U(VI)/U(IV) fraction determined by XAFS, suggesting that U(IV) precipitated together with phosphate in this system. When anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS), a known electron shuttle, was added to the experimental reactors, the dominant removal mechanism in both buffers was reduction to a non-uraninite U(IV) phase.Uranium immobilization by abiotic precipitation or microbial reduction has been extensively reported; however, the present work suggests that strain ES6 can remove U(VI) from solution simultaneously through precipitation with phosphate ligands and microbial reduction, depending on the environmental conditions. Cellulomonadaceae are environmentally relevant subsurface bacteria and here, for the first time, the presence of multiple U immobilization mechanisms within one organism is reported using Cellulomonas sp. strain ES6
The toxicity of lead to Desulfovibrio desulfuricans G20 in the presence of goethite and quartz
(2010-04) Sani, Rajesh K.; Rastogi, Gurdeep; Moberly, James G.; Dohnalkova, Alice; Ginn, Timothy R.; Spycher, Nicolas; Shende, Rajesh V.; Peyton, Brent M.
An aqueous mixture of goethite, quartz, and lead chloride (PbCl2) was treated with the sulfate reducing bacterium, Desulfovibrio desulfuricans G20 (D. desulfuricans G20), in a medium specifically designed to assess metal toxicity. In the presence of 26 Î¼M of soluble Pb, together with the goethite and quartz, D. desulfuricans G20 grew after a lag time of 5 days compared to 2 days in Pb-, goethite-, and quartz-free treatments. In the absence of goethite and quartz, however, with 26 Î¼M soluble Pb, no measurable growth was observed. Results showed that D. desulfuricans G20 first removed Pb from solutions then growth began resulting in black precipitates of Pb and iron sulfides. Transmission electron microscopic analyses of thin sections of D. desulfuricans G20 treated with 10 Î¼M PbCl2 in goethite- and quartz-free treatment showed the presence of a dense deposit of lead sulfide precipitates both in the periplasm and cytoplasm. However, thin sections of D. desulfuricans G20 treated with goethite, quartz, and PbCl2 (26 Î¼M soluble Pb) showed the presence of a dense deposit of iron sulfide precipitates both in the periplasm and cytoplasm. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, selected area electron diffraction patterns, or X-ray diffraction analyses confirmed the structure of precipitated Pb inside the cell as galena (PbS) in goethite- and quartz-free treatments, and iron sulfides in treatments with goethite, quartz, and PbCl2. Overall results suggest that even at the same soluble Pb concentration (26 Î¼M), in the presence of goethite and quartz, apparent Pb toxicity to D. desulfuricans G20 decreased significantly. Further, accumulation of lead/iron sulfides inside D. desulfuricans G20 cells depended on the presence of goethite and quartz.
Uranium immobilization by sulfate-reducing biofilms
(2004-04) Beyenal, Haluk; Sani, Rajesh K.; Peyton, Brent M.; Dohnalkova, Alice; Amonette, James E.; Lewandowski, Zbigniew
Hexavalent uranium [U(VI)] was immobilized using biofilms of the sulfate-reducing bacterium (SRB) Desulfovibrio desulfuricans G20. The biofilms were grown in flat-plate continuous-flow reactors using lactate as the electron donor and sulfate as the electron acceptor. U(VI)was continuously fed into the reactor for 32 weeks at a concentration of 126 microM. During this time, the soluble U(VI) was removed (between 88 and 96% of feed) from solution and immobilized in the biofilms. The dynamics of U immobilization in the sulfate-reducing biofilms were quantified by estimating: (1) microbial activity in the SRB biofilm, defined as the hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production rate and estimated from the H2S concentration profiles measured using microelectrodes across the biofilms; (2) concentration of dissolved U in the solution; and (3) the mass of U precipitated in the biofilm. Results suggest that U was immobilized in the biofilms as a result of two processes: (1) enzymatically and (2) chemically, by reacting with microbially generated H2S. Visual inspection showed that the dissolved sulfide species reacted with U(VI) to produce a black precipitate. Synchrotron-based U L3-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy analysis of U precipitated abiotically by sodium sulfide indicated that U(VI) had been reduced to U(IV). Selected-area electron diffraction pattern and crystallographic analysis of transmission electron microscope lattice-fringe images confirmed the structure of precipitated U as being that of uraninite.
Uranium immobilization by sulfate-reducing biofilms grown on hematite, dolomite, and calcite
(2007-12) Marsili, Enrico; Beyenal, Haluk; Palma, Luca D.; Merli, Carlo; Dohnalkova, Alice; Amonette, James E.; Lewandowski, Zbigniew
Biofilms of sulfate-reducing bacteria Desulfovibrio desulfuricans G20 were used to reduce dissolved U(VI) and subsequently immobilize U(IV) in the presence of uranium-complexing carbonates. The biofilms were grown in three identically operated fixed bed reactors, filled with three types of minerals: one noncarbonate-bearing mineral (hematite) and two carbonate-bearing minerals (calcite and dolomite). The source of carbonates in the reactors filled with calcite and dolomite were the minerals, while in the reactor filled with hematite it was a 10 mM carbonate buffer, pH 7.2, which we added to the growth medium. Our five-month study demonstrated that the sulfate-reducing biofilms grown in all reactors were able to immobilize/reduce uranium efficiently, despite the presence of uranium-complexing carbonates.
Uranium removal by sulfate reducing biofilms in the presence of carbonates
(2005) Marsili, Enrico; Beyenal, Haluk; Di Palma, L.; Merli, Carlo; Dohnalkova, Alice; Amonette, James E.; Lewandowski, Zbigniew
Hexavalent uranium [U(VI)] was immobilized in biofilms composed of the sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB), Desulfovibrio desulfuricans G20. The biofilms were grown in two flat-plate, continuous-flow reactors using lactate as the electron donor and sulfate as the electron acceptor. The growth medium contained uranium U(VI) and the pH was maintained constant using bicarbonate buffer. The reactors were operated for 5 months, and during that time biofilm activity and uranium removal were evaluated. The efficiency of uranium removal strongly depended on the concentration of uranium in the influent, and was estimated to be 30.4% in the reactor supplied with 3 mg/L of U(VI) and 73.9% in the reactor supplied with 30 mg/L of U(VI). TEM and SAED analysis showed that uranium in both reactors accumulated mostly on microbial cell membranes and in the periplasmic space. The deposits had amorphous or poor nanocrystalline structures. Keywords Biofilm; D. desulfuricans; uranium immobilization; uranium reduction