Microbial-driven ectopic uranium extraction with net electrical energy production

Highlights

● Stable and efficient U extraction with electrical energy production was achieved.

● The U(VI) removal proceeded via a diffusion-controlled U(VI)-to-U(IV) reduction.

● Electro-microbiome was constructed for microbial-driven ectopic U extraction.

● Metabolic pathways of anode biofilm were deciphered by metagenomics.

Abstract

The extraction of uranium (U) from U-bearing wastewater is of paramount importance for mitigating negative environmental impacts and recovering U resources. Microbial reduction of soluble hexavalent uranium (U(VI)) to insoluble tetravalent uranium (U(IV)) holds immense potential for this purpose, but its practical application has been impeded by the challenges associated with managing U-bacterial mixtures and the biotoxicity of U. To address these challenges, we present a novel spontaneous microbial electrochemical (SMEC) method that spatially decoupled the microbial oxidation reaction and the U(VI) reduction reaction. Our results demonstrated stable and efficient U extraction with net electrical energy production, which was achieved with both synthetic and real wastewater. U(VI) removal occurred via diffusion-controlled U(VI)-to-U(IV) reduction-precipitation at the cathode, and the U^IVO₂ deposited on the surface of the cathode contributed to the stability and durability of the abiotic U(VI) reduction. Metagenomic sequencing revealed the formation of efficient electroactive communities on the anodic biofilm and enrichment of the key functional genes and metabolic pathways involved in electron transfer, energy metabolism, the TCA cycle, and acetate metabolism, which indicated the ectopic reduction of U(VI) at the cathode. Our study represents a significant advancement in the cost-effective recovery of U from U(VI)-bearing wastewater and may open a new avenue for sustainable uranium extraction.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

U(VI) bioreduction / Electricity production / Reaction decoupling / Uranium-bearing wastewater / Biofilm microbiome

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52200202 and 42077352).

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-024-1764-y and is accessible for authorized users.

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