Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Fractionation of Rare Earth Elements and Yttrium in Aqueous Media: The Role of Organotrophic Bacteria

  • Published:
Moscow University Geology Bulletin Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract—

This paper presents the experimental results of rare earth element and yttrium (REY) biosorption in natural surface waters and groundwater in the presence of different concentrations of living and inactivated organotrophic bacteria (Curtobacterium sp., Ralstonia sp., Pseudomonas sp., Bacillus sp., Brevibacterium sp., Microbacterium sp.,) under different environmental pH conditions. We found that the biosorption process is mainly regulated by two factors: the pH of the aqueous solution and the species of bacteria. The acidity significantly affected the sorption capacity of bacteria for all of the studied strains. We found a decrease in REY sorption with an increase in pH due to lower absorption of REY on the cell walls of bacteria. The process of REY biosorption was more intensive in the living bacteria than inactivated microorganisms. At neutral pH values, all studied bacterial strains more actively adsorbed light REYs (lanthanum, praseodymium, and neodymium), in more acidic solutions (pH 2), an increase in Kd values ​​for heavy REY (lutetium and europium) was observed. The effect of bacterial biomass concentration on REY biosorption was demonstrated. The REY sorption decreased with an increase in the concentration of the live and inactivated bacteria.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 6.
Fig. 7.
Fig. 8.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  1. Balashov, Yu.A., Geokhimiya redkozemel’nykh elementov (Geochemistry of Rare Earth Elements), Moscow: Nauka, 1976.

  2. Beveridge, T.J. and Doyle, R.J., Metal Ions and Bacteria, N.Y.: Wiley, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Brantley, S.L., Liermann, L., Bau, M., and Wu, S., Uptake of trace metals and rare earth elements from hornblende by a soil bacterium, Geomicrobiol. J., 2001, vol. 18, pp. 37–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Buzoleva, L.S., Bezverbnaya, I.P., Zhuravel’, E.V., and Kalitina, E.G., Microbiological analysis of the contamination of marginal seas in the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean, Oceanology, 2006, vol. 46, pp. 50–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Chatellier, X. and Fortin, D., Adsorption of ferrous ions onto Bacillus subtilis cells, Chem. Geol., 2004, vol. 212, pp. 209–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Doyle, R.J., Matthews, T.H., and Streips, U.N., Chemical basis for selectivity of metal ions by the Bacillus subtilis cell wall, J. Bacteriol., 1980, vol. 143, pp. 471–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Egorov, N.S., Rukovodstvo k prakticheskim zanyatiyam po mikrobiologii (A Guide to Practical Exercises in Microbiology), Moscow: Izd-vo Mosk. un-ta, 1995.

  8. Fein, J.B., Martin, A.M., and Wightman, P.G., Metal adsorption onto bacterial surfaces: development of a predictive approach, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 2001, vol. 65, pp. 4267–4273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Ferris, F.G. and Beveridge, T.J., Binding of a paramagnetic metal cation to Escherichia coli R-12 outer-membrane vesicles, FEMS Microbiol. Lett., 1984, vol. 24, pp. 43–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Harris, P.O. and Ramelow, G.J., Binding of metal ions by particulate biomass derived from Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus quadricauda, Environ. Sci. Technol., 1990, vol. 24, pp. 220–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Kazak, E.S., Kalitina, E.G., Kharitonova, N.A., et al., Biosorption of Rare-Earth Elements and Yttrium by Heterotrophic Bacteria in an Aqueous Environment, Moscow Univ. Geol. Bull., 2018, vol. 73, no. 3, pp. 287–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Korenevskii, A.A., Sorokin, V.V., and Karavaiko, G.I., Interaction of REE ions Candida utilis sells, Mikrobiologiya, 1997, vol. 66, pp. 198–205.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Markai, S., Andres, Y., Montavon, G., and Grambow, B., Study of the interaction between europium (III) and Bacillus subtilis: fixation sites, biosorption modeling and reversibility, J. Colloid Interface Sci., 2003, vol. 262, pp. 351–361.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Merroun, M.L., Ben Chekroun, K., Arias, J.M., and Gonzalez-Munoz, M.T., Lanthanum fixation by Myxococcus xanthus: Cellular location and extracellular polysaccharide observation, Chemosphere, 2003, vol. 52, pp. 113–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Mullen, M.D., Wolf, D.C., Ferris, F.G., et al., Bacterial sorption of heavy metals, Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 1989, vol. 55, pp. 3143–3149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Ozaki, T., Gillow, J., Francis, A., et al., Association of Eu-(III) and Cm (III) with Bacillus subtilis and Halobacterium salinarum, J. Nuclear Sci. Technol., 2002, vol. 39, pp. 950–953.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Salton, M.R.J. and Kim, K.-S., Medical Microbiology. Ch. 2. Srtucture. Texas, Univ. Texas Medical Branch, 1994.

  18. Takahashi, Y., Chatellier, X., Hattori, K.H., et al., Adsorption of rare earth elements onto bacterial cell walls and its implication for REE sorption onto natural microbial mats, Chem. Geol., 2005, vol. 219, pp. 53–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Takahashi, Y., Hirata, T., Shimizu, H., et al., A rare earth element signature of bacteria in natural waters, Chem. Geol., 2007, vol. 244, pp. 569–583.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Texier, A.-C., Andres, Y., Illemassene, M., and Le Cloirec, P., Characterization of lanthanide ions binding sites in the cell wall of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Environ. Sci. Technol., 2000, vol. 34, pp. 610–615.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Voznaya, N.F., Khimiya vody i mikrobiologiya: Ucheb. posobie dlya vuzov (Water Chemistry and Microbiology. Manual for Graduate Students), Moscow: Vyssh. Sh., 1979.

  22. Zhou, J.L. and Kiff, R.J., The uptake of copper from aqueous solution by immobilized fungal biomass, Chem. Technol. Biotechnol.,1991, vol. 52, pp. 317–330.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Moscow State University, 119991, Moscow, Russia

    E. S. Kazak & N. A. Kharitonova

  2. Far East Geological Institute (FEGI), Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences), pr. 100-letiya 159, 690022, Vladivostok, Russia

    E. G. Lebedeva, N. A. Kharitonova & E. V. Elovsky

  3. GIN Russian Academy of Sciences, per. Pyzhevsky 7 bld. 1, 119017, Moscow, Russia

    G. A. Chelnokov

Authors
  1. E. S. Kazak
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. E. G. Lebedeva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. N. A. Kharitonova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. G. A. Chelnokov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. E. V. Elovsky
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to E. S. Kazak.

Additional information

Translated by A. Bulaev

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kazak, E.S., Lebedeva, E.G., Kharitonova, N.A. et al. Fractionation of Rare Earth Elements and Yttrium in Aqueous Media: The Role of Organotrophic Bacteria. Moscow Univ. Geol. Bull. 76, 445–458 (2021). https://doi.org/10.3103/S0145875221040050

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3103/S0145875221040050

Keywords:

Search

Navigation