DUGi

Anaerobic arsenite oxidation with an electrode serving as the sole electron acceptor: A novel approach to the bioremediation of arsenic-polluted groundwater

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Arsenic contamination of soil and groundwater is a serious problem worldwide. Here we show that anaerobic oxidation of As(III) to As(V), a form which is more extensively and stably adsorbed onto metal-oxides, can be achieved by using a polarized (+497 mV vs. SHE) graphite anode serving as terminal electron acceptor in the microbial metabolism. The characterization of the microbial populations at the electrode, by using in situ detection methods, revealed the predominance of gammaproteobacteria. In principle, the proposed bioelectrochemical oxidation process would make it possible to provide As(III)-oxidizing microorganisms with a virtually unlimited, low-cost and low-maintenance electron acceptor as well as with a physical support for microbial attachment

This work was supported by MIUR PRIN 2010-2011 project (grant agreement No 2010JBNLJ7-002). The authors thank the Advanced Centre for Microscopy "P. Albertano" of University of Rome "Tor Vergata" for CLSM analyses. Narcis Pous and Sebastia Puig were supported by a project grant from the Catalan Government (2012 FI-B 00941) and the Spanish Government (CTQ2011-23632). Narcis Pous was also supported by a COST Action ES1202 in the context of Water 2020 (COST-STSM-ECOST-STSM-ES1202-011013-035423)

Elsevier