• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.9
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• pp.1572-1577
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• 2008

A facultative dissimilatory metal-reducing bacterium, Shewanella sp. strain HN-41, was used to produce magnetite nanoparticles from a precursor, poorly crystalline iron-oxyhydroxide akaganeite ($\beta$-FeOOH), by reducing Fe(III). The diameter of the biogenic magnetite nanoparticles ranged from 26 nm to 38 nm, characterized by dynamic light scattering spectrophotometry. The magnetite nanoparticles consisted of mostly uniformly shaped spheres, which were identified by electron microscopy. The magnetometry revealed the superparamagnetic property of the magnetic nanoparticles. The atomic structure of the biogenic magnetite, which was determined by extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopic analysis, showed similar atomic structural parameters, such as atomic distances and coordinations, to typical magnetite mineral.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.353-365
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• 2000

After their first appearance on Earth, bacteria have exerted significant influence on geochemical behavior of elements. Numerous evidence of their control on geochemistry through geologic history has been observed in a variety of natural environments. They have mediated weathering rate, formation of secondary minerals, redox transformation of metals and metalloids, and thus global cycling of elements. Such ability of bacteria receives so considerable attention from microbiologists, mineralogists, geologists, soil scientists, limnologists, oceanographers, and atmospheric scientists as well as geochemists that a new and interdisciplinary field of research called 'geomicrobiology' is currently expanding. Some recent subjects of geomicrobiology which are studied extensively are as follows: 1) Functional groups distributed on bacterial cell walls adsorb dissolved cations onto cell surfaces by electrostatic surface complexation, which is followed by hydrous mineral formation. 2) Dissimilatory metal reducing bacteria conserve energy to support growth by oxidation of organic matter coupled to reduction of some oxidized metals and/or metalloids. They can be effectively used in remediating environments contaminated with U, As, Se, and Cr. 3) Bacteria increase the rate of mineral dissolution by excreting proton and ligands such as organic acids into aqueous system. 4) Thorough investigation on the effects of biofilm on geochemical processes is needed, because most bacteria are adsorbed on solid substrates and form biofilms in natural settings.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.253-258
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• 2023

In the environment, chromium often exists in a highly mobile and toxic form of Cr(VI). Therefore, the reduction of Cr(VI) to less toxic Cr(III) is considered an effective remediation strategy for Cr(VI)-contamination. In this study, the biological reduction of hexavalent chromium was examined at the concentrations of 0.01 mM, 0.1 mM, and 1 mM Cr(VI) by the dissimilatory metal-reducing bacterium, Shewanella sp. HN-41 in the presence of ferric-citrate. With the relatively condensed cell densities, the aqueous phase Cr(VI) was reduced at the proportions of 42%, 23%, and 31%, respectively for the 0.01 mM, 0.1 mM, and 1 mM Cr(VI) incubations, while Fe(III)-citrate was reduced at 95%, 88%, and 73%, respectively. Although the strain HN-41 was not considered to reduce Cr(VI) as the sole electron acceptor for anaerobic metabolism in the preliminary experiment, it has been presumed that outer-membrane c-type cytochromes such as MtrC and OmcA reduced Cr(VI) in the presence of ferric-citrate as the electron acceptor. Since this study indicated the potential of relatively high cell density for Cr(VI) reduction, it might propose a bioremediation strategy for Cr(VI) removal from contaminated waters using engineered systems such as bioreactors employing high cell growths.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.145-153
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• 2005

I reviewed an ecological and environmental significance of microbial carbon respiration coupled to dis-similatory reduction of fe(III) to Fe(II) which is one of the major processes controlling mineralization of organic matter and behavior of metals and nutrients in various anaerobic environments. Relative significance of Fe(III) reduction in the mineralization of organic matter in diverse marine environments appeared to be extremely variable, ranging from negligible up to $100\%$. Cenerally, Fe(III) reduction dominated anaerobic car-bon mineralization when concentrations of reactive Fe(III) were higher, indicating that availability of reactive Fe(III) was a major factor determining the relative significance of Fe(III) reduction in anaerobic carbon mineralization. In anaerobic coastal sediments where $O_2$ supply is limited, tidal flushing, bioturbation and vegetation were most likely responsible for regulating the availability of Fe(III) for Fe(III) reducing bacteria (FeRB). Capabilities of FeRB in mineralization of organic matter and conversion of metals implied that FeRB may function as a useful eco-technological tool for the bioremediation of anoxic coastal environments contaminated by toxic organic and metal pollutants.