Microbial reduction of vanadium (V) in groundwater: Interactions with coexisting common electron acceptors and analysis of microbial community

Abstract Vanadium (V) pollution in groundwater has posed serious risks to the environment and public health. Anaerobic microbial reduction can achieve efficient and cost-effective remediation of V(V) pollution, but its interactions with coexisting common electron acceptors such as NO 3 − , Fe 3+ , SO 4 2− and CO 2 in groundwater remain unknown. In this study, the interactions between V(V) reduction and reduction of common electron acceptors were examined with revealing relevant microbial community and identifying dominant species. The results showed that the presence of NO 3 − slowed down the removal of V(V) in the early stage of the reaction but eventually led to a similar reduction efficiency (90.0% ± 0.4% in 72-h operation) to that in the reactor without NO 3 − . The addition of Fe 3+ , SO 4 2− , or CO 2 decreased the efficiency of V(V) reduction. Furthermore, the microbial reduction of these coexisting electron acceptors was also adversely affected by the presence of V(V). The addition of V(V) as well as the extra dose of Fe 3+ , SO 4 2− and CO 2 decreased microbial diversity and evenness, whereas the reactor supplied with NO 3 − showed the increased diversity. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing analysis indicated the accumulation of Geobacter , Longilinea , Syntrophobacter, Spirochaeta and Anaerolinea , which might be responsible for the reduction of multiple electron acceptors. The findings of this study have demonstrated the feasibility of anaerobic bioremediation of V(V) and the possible influence of coexisting electron acceptors commonly found in groundwater.