Bioreduction of Hexavalent Chromium in Flow-Through Quartz Sand Columns
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 132, Issue 3
Abstract
Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) contamination of soil and groundwater is a major environmental concern for some industrial sites and most of the U.S. Department of Energy sites. Cr(VI) is toxic and fairly mobile in groundwater. Bioreduction of Cr(VI) to less toxic and less mobile Cr(III) is considered to be a feasible option. Among the Cr(VI) reducing bacteria, Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 (MR-1) has been shown to be effective in metal reduction under anaerobic conditions. Data on bioreduction of Cr(VI) by MR-1 in a flow-through soil column that better approximates the subsurface condition are not available. The objective of this research project was to study the bioreduction of Cr(VI) by MR-1 in a continuous-flow quartz sand column system. MR-1 was found to be very effective in reducing Cr(VI) to Cr(III) for concentrations ranging from 0.055 mM to 0.006 mM . The amount of Cr(VI) reduced prior to its breakthrough was found to be inversely proportional to its concentration in the feed due to increased inhibition of microbial activity and a residual reduction of 20–45% of Cr(VI) was observed even after its breakthrough.
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Acknowledgments
This research was partially funded by the Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research (NABIR) program, Biological and Environmental Research (BER), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Grant Nos. DE-FG03-98ER62693 and DE-FG02-04ER63727. The writers also acknowledge Inland Northwest Research Alliance (INRA) for their Graduate Fellowship program under U.S. DOE Contract No. DOEDE-FG07-02ID14277. The research was conducted at the WSU/NSF IGERT Center for Multiphase Environmental Research and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 132 • Issue 3 • March 2006
Pages: 358 - 366
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Jul 20, 2004
Accepted: Jun 15, 2005
Published online: Mar 1, 2006
Published in print: Mar 2006
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