Potentiality of phosphorus−accumulating organisms biomasses in biosorption of Cd(II), Pb(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) from aqueous solutions: Behaviors and mechanisms

A vast array of biological materials, especially bacteria, algae, yeasts and fungi have received increasing attention for heavy metal removal and recovery due to their good performance, low cost and large available quantities. The biosorbent, unlike mono functional ion exchange resins, contains variety of functional sites including carboxyl, imidazole, sulphydryl, amino, phosphate, sulfate, thioether, phenol, carbonyl, amide and hydroxyl moieties. Biosorbents are cheaper, more effective alternatives for the removal of metallic elements, especially heavy metals from aqueous solution. In this paper, based on the literatures and our research results, the biosorbents widely used for heavy metal removal were reviewed, mainly focusing on their cellular structure, biosorption performance, their pretreatment, modification, regeneration/reuse, modeling of biosorption (isotherm and kinetic models), the development of novel biosorbents, their evaluation, potential application and future. The pretreatment and modification of biosorbents aiming to improve their sorption capacity was introduced and evaluated. Molecular biotechnology is a potent tool to elucidate the mechanisms at molecular level, and to construct engineered organisms with higher biosorption capacity and selectivity for the objective metal ions. The potential application of biosorption and biosorbents was discussed. Although the biosorption application is facing the great challenge, there are two trends for the development of the biosorption process for metal removal. One trend is to use hybrid technology for pollutants removal, especially using living cells. Another trend is to develop the commercial biosorbents using immobilization technology, and to improve the biosorption process including regeneration/reuse, making the biosorbents just like a kind of ion exchange resin, as well as to exploit the market with great endeavor.

A new minimal medium for enterobacteria has been developed. It supports growth of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium at rates comparable to those of any of the traditional media that have high phosphate concentrations, but each of the macronutrients (phosphate, sulfate, and nitrogen) is present at a sufficiently low level to permit isotopic labeling. Buffering capacity is provided by an organic dipolar ion, morpholinopropane sulfonate, which has a desirable pK (7.2) and no apparent inhibitory effect on growth. The medium has been developed with the objectives of (i) providing reproducibility of chemical composition, (ii) meeting the experimentally determined nutritional needs of the cell, (iii) avoiding an unnecessary excess of the major ionic species, (iv) facilitating the adjustment of the levels of individual ionic species, both for isotopic labeling and for nutritional studies, (v) supplying a complete array of micronutrients, (vi) setting a particular ion as the crop-limiting factor when the carbon and energy source is in excess, and (vii) providing maximal convenience in the manufacture and storage of the medium.

Cadmium is an important toxic environmental heavy metal. Occupational and environmental pollution with cadmium results mainly from mining, metallurgy industry and manufactures of nickel-cadmium batteries, pigments and plastic stabilizers. Important sources of human intoxication are cigarette smoke as well as food, water and air contaminations. In humans, cadmium exposures have been associated with cancers of the prostate, lungs and testes. Acute exposures are responsible for damage to these organs. Chronic intoxication is associated with obstructive airway disease, emphysema, irreversible renal failure, bone disorders and immuno-suppression. At the cellular level, cadmium affects proliferation, differentiation and causes apoptosis. It has been classified as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). However, it is weakly genotoxic. Indirect effects of cadmium provoke generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and DNA damage. Cadmium modulates also gene expression and signal transduction, reduces activities of proteins involved in antioxidant defenses. Several studies have shown that it interferes with DNA repair. The present review focuses on the effects of cadmium in mammalian cells with special emphasis on the induction of damage to DNA, membranes and proteins, the inhibition of different types of DNA repair and the induction of apoptosis. Current data and hypotheses on the mechanisms involved in cadmium genotoxicity and carcinogenesis are outlined.