• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.179-184
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• 2014

Mitigation of heavy metal toxicity by iron containing superoxide dismutase (FeSOD) of Streptomyces subrutilus P5 was investigated. For E. coli $DH5{\alpha}$, the survival rate in the presence of 0.1 mM lead ions was only 7% after 120 min; however, with the addition of $0.1{\mu}M$ of purified native FeSOD the survival rate increased to 39%. This detoxification effect was also shown with 0.01 mM copper ions (survival increased from 6% to 50%), and the effect was stronger than with the use of EDTA. E. coli M15[pREP4] producing 6xHis-tagged FeSOD was constructed, and this showed an increase in survival rates throughout the incubation time; in the presence of 0.1 mM lead ions,the final increase at 60 min was from 3% to 19%. The FeSOD absorbed about 123 g-atom lead per subunit; therefore, we suggest that FeSOD could sequestrate toxic heavy metals to enhance bacterial survival against heavy metal contamination.

• Proceedings of the KAIS Fall Conference
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• 2010.11a
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• pp.495-499
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• 2010

The biocatalytic capture of $CO_2$, and its precipitationas $CaCO_3$, over bovine carbonic anhydrase (BCA) immobilized on a pore-expanded SBA-15 support was investigated. SBA-15 was synthesized using TMB as a pore expander, and the resulting porous silica was characterized by XRD, BET, IR, and FE-SEM analysis. BCA was immobilized on SBA-15 through various approaches, including covalent attachment (BCA-CA), adsorption (BCA-ADS), and cross-linked enzyme aggregation (BCA-CLEA). The immobilization of BCA on SBA-15 was confirmed by the presence of zinc metal in the EDXS analysis. The effects of pH, temperature, storage stability, and reusability on the biocatalytic performance of BCA were characterized by examining para-nitrophenyl acetate (p-NPA) hydrolysis. The $K_{cat}/K_m$ values for p-NPA hydrolysis were 740.05, 660.62, and $680.11M^{-1}s^{-1}$, respectively, where as $K_{cat}/K_m$ for free BCA was $873.76M^{-1}s^{-1}$. The amount of $CaCO_3$ precipitate was measured quantitatively using anion-selective electrode and was found to be 12.41, 11.82, or 11.28 mg $CaCO_3$/mg for BCA-CLEA, BCA-ADS, or BCA-CA, respectively. The present results indicate that the immobilized BCA-CLEA, BCA-ADS, and BCA-CA are green materials, and are tunable, reusable, and promising biocatalysts for $CO_2$ sequestration.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.301-308
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• 2007

Silicate mineral serpentine with magnesium and calcium was selected as a mineral carbonation mediators for carbon dioxide storage. Serpentine has various metallic elements as an oxides form of magnesium, iron, calcium, aluminium etc. Magnesium and calcium could be carbonation salt preferentially than other metal component within serpentine. Systemic thermochemical treatment for serpentine could change physicochemical properties like a surface area and pore dimensions. Due to the rapid chemical reaction rate depended on dimensional values, carbonation formation could determined by surface property change of thermochemical treated serpentine.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.231-240
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• 2002

Microbial metal reduction influences the biogeochemical cycles of carbon and metals as well as plays an important role in the bioremediation of metals, radionuclides, and organic contaminants. The use of bacteria to facilitate the production of magnetite nanoparticles and the formation of carbonate minerals may provide new biotechnological processes for material synthesis and carbon sequestration. Metal-reducing bacteria were isolated from a variety of extreme environments, such as deep terrestrial subsurface, deep marine sediments, water near Hydrothemal vents, and alkaline ponds. Metal-reducing bacteria isolated from diverse extreme environments were able to reduce Fe(III), Mn(IV), Cr(VI), Co(III), and U(VI) using short chain fatty acids and/or hydrogen as the electron donors. These bacteria exhibited diverse mineral precipitation capabilities including the formation of magnetite ($Fe_3$$O_4$), siderite ($FeCO_3$), calcite ($CaCO_3$), rhodochrosite ($MnCO_3$), vivianite [$Fe_3$($PO_4$)$_2$ .$8H_2$O], and uraninite ($UO_2$). Geochemical and environmental factors such as atmospheres, chemical milieu, and species of bacteria affected the extent of Fe(III)-reduction as well as the mineralogy and morphology of the crystalline iron mineral phases. Thermophilic bacteria use amorphous Fe(III)-oxyhydroxide plus metals (Co, Cr, Ni) as an electron acceptor and organic carbon as an electron donor to synthesize metal-substituted magnetite. Metal reducing bacteria were capable of $CO_2$conversion Into sparingly soluble carbonate minerals, such as siderite and calcite using amorphous Fe(III)-oxyhydroxide or metal-rich fly ash. These results indicate that microbial Fe(III)-reduction may not only play important roles in iron and carbon biogeochemistry in natural environments, but also be potentially useful f3r the synthesis of submicron-sized ferromagnetic materials.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.1-8
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• 2012

The success of stabilization treatment in heavy metal contaminated sediment depends on the heavy metal bioavailability reduction through the sequestration of the heavy metals. This study was performed to assess the changes in the bioavailability of Pb or Cd in the Pb or Cd contaminated sediments by using birnessite and hydroxyapatite as stabilizing agents. The toxicity tests were carried out using a microorganism (Vibrio fischeri), an amphipod (Hyalella azteca) and an earthworm (Eisenia foetida). With Vibrio fischeri, the toxicities of both Pb and Cd were reduced by more than ten times in the presence of birnessite and hydroxyapatite compared to that of in the absence of birnessite and hydroxyapatite. The concentrations of Pb and Cd in the contaminated sediments were lethal to Hyalella azteca, however, in the presence of birnessite and hydroxyapatite more than 90%, on average, of Hyalella azteca survived. With Eisenia foetida, the bioaccumulated concentrations of both Pb and Cd were reduced by more than 75%, on average, lower with the addition of birnessite and hydroxyapatite to the contaminated sediments. These results show that the addition of birnessite and hydroxyapatite can reduce the bioavailability of Pb and Cd in contaminated sediments. In addition, the in situ and ex situ performance of birnessite and hydroxyapatite as stabilizing agents can be verified using the toxicity tests with Hyalella azteca and Eisenia foetida, respectively.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.74-83
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• 2017

Coal-fired power plants supply roughly 50 percent of the nation's electricity but produce a disproportionate share of electric utility-related air pollution. Coal combustion technology can facilitate volume reduction of up to 90%, with the inorganic contaminants being captured in furnace bottom ash and fly ash residues. These disposal coal ash residues are however governed by the potential release of constituent contaminants into the environment. Accelerated carbonation process has been shown to have a potential for improving the chemical stability and leaching behavior of bottom ash residues. The aim of this work was to quantify the volume of $CO_2$ that could be sequestrated with a view to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and stabilize the contaminated heavy metals from bottom ash samples. In this study, we used PC boiler bottom ash, Kanvera reactor (KR) slag and calcined waste lime for measuring chemical analysis and heavy metals leaching tests were performed and also the formation of calcite resulting from accelerated carbonation process was investigated by thermo gravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA).

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.1685-1689
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• 2009

Phytochelatins (PCs) are small polypeptides synthesized by PC synthase (PCS). They are present in various living organisms including plants, fission yeast, and some animals. The presumed function of PCs is the sequestration of cytosolic toxic heavy metals like cadmium (Cd) into the vacuoles via vacuolar membrane localized heavy metal tolerance factor 1 (HMT-1). HMT-1 was first identified in fission yeast (SpHMT-1), and later in Caenorhabdtis (CeHMT-1). Recently, its homolog has also been found in PC-deficient Drosophila (DmHMT-1), and this homolog has been shown to be involved in Cd detoxification, as confirmed by the heterologous expression of DmHMT-1 in fission yeast. Therefore, the dependence of HMT-1 on PC in Cd detoxification should be re-evaluated. I heterologously expressed SpHMT-1 in cytosolic PC-deficient yeast, Saccharomycea cerevisiae, to understand the dependence of HMT-1 on PC. Yeast cells expressing SpHMT-1 showed increased tolerance to Cd compared with control cells. This result indicates that SpHMT-1 is not strictly correlated with PC production on its function. Moreover, yeast cells expressing SpHMT-1 showed increased tolerance to exogenously applied glutathione (GSH) compared with control cells, and the tolerance to Cd was further increased by exogenously applied GSH, while tolerance in control cells was not. These results indicate that the function of SpHMT-1 in Cd detoxification does not depend on PCs only, and suggest that SpHMT-1 may sequester cytosolic GSH-Cd complexes into the vacuole.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.473-478
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• 2008

In this experimental, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH3 over manganese sulfates and manganese sulfates was investigated with catalytic activity, kinetics, temperature programmed reduction (TPR) and TGA. Manganese oxides showed high catalytic activity for SCR at temperature below $200^{\circ}C$. In case of manganese sulfates, the temperature at which SCR of nitric oxide appears shifted to high temperature with sulfation degree, and the maximum catalytic efficiency decreased. The temperature of the onset of reduction for manganese oxides and manganese sulfates is about $160^{\circ}C$ and over $280^{\circ}C$, respectively. We suggest that the onset of reduction in TPR correlates with the onset of SCR activity. Because the pre-exponential factor of manganese sulfates is lower as 1/1000 times than that of other catalysts, catalytic activity of manganese sulfates for NO showed low. The reduction temperature of natural manganese ore which consists of various metal oxides showed lower than that of pure manganese oxides.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.127-137
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• 2017

Cotton is the major fiber crop in Pakistan that accounts for 2% of total national gross domestic product (GDP). After picking of cotton, the dry stalks are major organic waste that has no fate except burning to cook food in villages. Present research focuses use of cotton stalks as feedstock for biochar production, its characterization and effects on soil characteristics. Dry cotton stalks collected from agricultural field of Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan were combusted under anaerobic conditions at $450^{\circ}C$. The physicochemical analysis of biochar and cotton stalks show higher values of % total carbon, phosphorus and potassium concentrations in biochar as compared to cotton stalks. The concentration of nitrogen was decreased in biochar. Similarly biochar had greater values of fixed carbon that suggest its role for carbon sequestration and as a soil amendment. The fourier transformation infrared spectroscopic spectra (FTIR) of cotton stalks and biochar exposed more acidic groups in biochar as compared to cotton stalks. The newly developed functional groups in biochar have vital role in increasing surface properties, cation exchange capacity, and water holding capacity, and are responsible for heavy metal remediation in contaminated soil. In a further test, results show increase in the water holding capacity and nutrient retention by a sandy soil amended with biochar. It is concluded that cotton stalks can be effectively used to prepare biochar.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.432-440
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• 2015

Biochar, a by-product from pyrolysis of biomass, is a promising option to mitigate climate change by increasing soil carbon sequestration. This material is also considered to have potential to remediate a soil with heavy metal pollution by increasing the soil's adsorptive capacity. This study conducted the assessment of two biochars considering the climate change mitigation potential and heavy metal removal capacity at the same time. Two kinds of biochars (BC_Ch, TW_Ch) were prepared by pyrolyzing the biomass of burcucumber (BC_Bm) and tea waste (TW_Bm). The soils polluted with Pb were mixed with biochars or biomass and incubated for 60 d. During the incubation, $CO_2$, $CH_4$, and $N_2O$ were regularly measured and the soil before and after incubation was analyzed for chemical and biological parameters including the acetate extractable Pb. The results showed that only the BC_Ch treatment significantly reduced the amount of Pb after 60 d incubation. During the incubation, the $CO_2$ and $N_2O$ emissions from the BC_Ch and TW_Ch were decreased by 24% and 34% compared to the BC_Bm and TW_Bm, respectively. The $CH_4$ emissions were not significantly affected by biochar treatments. We calculated the GWP considering the production of amendment materials, application to the soils, removal of Pb, and soil carbon storage. The BC_Ch treatment had the most negative value because it had the higher Pb adsorption and soil carbon sequestration. Our results imply that if we apply biochar made from burcucumber, we could expect the pollution reduction and climate change mitigation at the same time.