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Updated: Oct 21, 2026

Removal of Trace Elements by Cupric Oxide Nanoparticles from Uranium In Situ Recovery Bleed Water and Its Effect on Cell Viability
Published on: June 21, 2015
Enrichment of uranium-resistant microbial flora for U(VI) removal and mechanism analysis
Taotao Zeng1, Zhiyu Xiong1, Yi Xiao1
1Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse Technology, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, China.
Abstract:
A community of uranium-tolerant microorganisms was isolated from a soil sample collected from the vicinity of a uranium tailing mine in South China to investigate the efficiency and mechanism of uranium removal. The maximum uranium (U(VI)) removal efficiency for microbes reached up to 90.9% at pH 6 and 35°C. Uranium can cause membrane lipid peroxidation to produce malondialdehyde, and activity levels of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase and catalase, changed accordingly. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that oxygen-containing functional groups and amide groups were the main functional groups involved, and that H2(UO2)2(PO4)2·8H2O and HPUO6·4H2O were formed. The isolated uranium-resistant bacterial flora included Aeromonas, Acinetobacter, Stenotrophomonas, Unclassified f-Enterobacteriaceae, Shewanella and Pseudomonas. Microbial functional gene prediction revealed an increased abundance of genes associated with intracellular transport, lipid transport and metabolism, inorganic ion transport and metabolism. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis showed that mainly genes related to the tricarboxylic acid cycle and quorum-sensing-related enzymes in resistance to uranium toxicity. This comprehensive analysis of the mechanisms of uranium resistant by microbial communities offers novel perspectives on the defensive responses of microorganisms under such stress.
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