Abundant and diverse arsenic‐metabolizing microorganisms in peatlands treating arsenic‐contaminated mining wastewaters
Summary Mining operations produce large quantities of wastewater. At a mine site in Northern Finland, two natural peatlands are used for the treatment of mining‐influenced waters with high concentrations of sulphate and potentially toxic arsenic (As). In the present study, As removal and the involve...
Published in: | Environmental Microbiology |
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crwiley:10.1111/1462-2920.14922 2024-06-02T08:12:02+00:00 Abundant and diverse arsenic‐metabolizing microorganisms in peatlands treating arsenic‐contaminated mining wastewaters Kujala, Katharina Besold, Johannes Mikkonen, Anu Tiirola, Marja Planer‐Friedrich, Britta Biotieteiden ja Ympäristön Tutkimuksen Toimikunta Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft FP7 Ideas: European Research Council 2020 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.14922 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1462-2920.14922 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/1462-2920.14922 en eng Wiley http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Environmental Microbiology volume 22, issue 4, page 1572-1587 ISSN 1462-2912 1462-2920 journal-article 2020 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.14922 2024-05-06T07:00:09Z Summary Mining operations produce large quantities of wastewater. At a mine site in Northern Finland, two natural peatlands are used for the treatment of mining‐influenced waters with high concentrations of sulphate and potentially toxic arsenic (As). In the present study, As removal and the involved microbial processes in those treatment peatlands (TPs) were assessed. Arsenic‐metabolizing microorganisms were abundant in peat soil from both TPs (up to 10 8 cells g dw −1 ), with arsenate respirers being about 100 times more abundant than arsenite oxidizers. In uninhibited microcosm incubations, supplemented arsenite was oxidized under oxic conditions and supplemented arsenate was reduced under anoxic conditions, while little to no oxidation/reduction was observed in NaN 3 ‐inhibited microcosms, indicating high As‐turnover potential of peat microbes. Formation of thioarsenates was observed in anoxic microcosms. Sequencing of the functional genemarkers aioA (arsenite oxidizers), arrA (arsenate respirers) and arsC (detoxifying arsenate reducers) demonstrated high diversity of the As‐metabolizing microbial community. The microbial community composition differed between the two TPs, which may have affected As removal efficiencies. In the present situation, arsenate reduction is likely the dominant net process and contributes substantially to As removal. Changes in TP usage (e.g. mine closure) with lowered water tables and heightened oxygen availability in peat might lead to re‐oxidation and re‐mobilization of bound arsenite. Article in Journal/Newspaper Northern Finland Wiley Online Library Environmental Microbiology 22 4 1572 1587 |
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English |
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Summary Mining operations produce large quantities of wastewater. At a mine site in Northern Finland, two natural peatlands are used for the treatment of mining‐influenced waters with high concentrations of sulphate and potentially toxic arsenic (As). In the present study, As removal and the involved microbial processes in those treatment peatlands (TPs) were assessed. Arsenic‐metabolizing microorganisms were abundant in peat soil from both TPs (up to 10 8 cells g dw −1 ), with arsenate respirers being about 100 times more abundant than arsenite oxidizers. In uninhibited microcosm incubations, supplemented arsenite was oxidized under oxic conditions and supplemented arsenate was reduced under anoxic conditions, while little to no oxidation/reduction was observed in NaN 3 ‐inhibited microcosms, indicating high As‐turnover potential of peat microbes. Formation of thioarsenates was observed in anoxic microcosms. Sequencing of the functional genemarkers aioA (arsenite oxidizers), arrA (arsenate respirers) and arsC (detoxifying arsenate reducers) demonstrated high diversity of the As‐metabolizing microbial community. The microbial community composition differed between the two TPs, which may have affected As removal efficiencies. In the present situation, arsenate reduction is likely the dominant net process and contributes substantially to As removal. Changes in TP usage (e.g. mine closure) with lowered water tables and heightened oxygen availability in peat might lead to re‐oxidation and re‐mobilization of bound arsenite. |
author2 |
Biotieteiden ja Ympäristön Tutkimuksen Toimikunta Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft FP7 Ideas: European Research Council |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Kujala, Katharina Besold, Johannes Mikkonen, Anu Tiirola, Marja Planer‐Friedrich, Britta |
spellingShingle |
Kujala, Katharina Besold, Johannes Mikkonen, Anu Tiirola, Marja Planer‐Friedrich, Britta Abundant and diverse arsenic‐metabolizing microorganisms in peatlands treating arsenic‐contaminated mining wastewaters |
author_facet |
Kujala, Katharina Besold, Johannes Mikkonen, Anu Tiirola, Marja Planer‐Friedrich, Britta |
author_sort |
Kujala, Katharina |
title |
Abundant and diverse arsenic‐metabolizing microorganisms in peatlands treating arsenic‐contaminated mining wastewaters |
title_short |
Abundant and diverse arsenic‐metabolizing microorganisms in peatlands treating arsenic‐contaminated mining wastewaters |
title_full |
Abundant and diverse arsenic‐metabolizing microorganisms in peatlands treating arsenic‐contaminated mining wastewaters |
title_fullStr |
Abundant and diverse arsenic‐metabolizing microorganisms in peatlands treating arsenic‐contaminated mining wastewaters |
title_full_unstemmed |
Abundant and diverse arsenic‐metabolizing microorganisms in peatlands treating arsenic‐contaminated mining wastewaters |
title_sort |
abundant and diverse arsenic‐metabolizing microorganisms in peatlands treating arsenic‐contaminated mining wastewaters |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.14922 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1462-2920.14922 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/1462-2920.14922 |
genre |
Northern Finland |
genre_facet |
Northern Finland |
op_source |
Environmental Microbiology volume 22, issue 4, page 1572-1587 ISSN 1462-2912 1462-2920 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.14922 |
container_title |
Environmental Microbiology |
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22 |
container_issue |
4 |
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1572 |
op_container_end_page |
1587 |
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1800758351197372416 |