Scientists in China have shown that a particular strain of bacterium isolated from sediments deep beneath the Pacific Ocean might provide a powerful clean-up tool for heavy metal pollution. The researchers showed that Brachybacterium, strain Mn32, is highly effective in removing manganese from solutions, converting it to insoluble manganese oxides. Not only did the bacterium directly oxidize the manganese but the resulting oxides themselves also absorbed the metal from the culture solution, making Brachybacterium, strain Mn32, a potentially useful candidate for use in bioremediation and cleaning up pollution. In addition to removing manganese from its environment, the Brachybacterium also absorbed significant amounts of zinc and nickel. All of these metals are found as pollutants in water and soils contaminated by heavy industries such as steel-making. Senior author Dr. Gejiao Wang said that “the next stage of our research is to immobilize this bacterial strain into a bioreactor to test its ability to remove manganese and other heavy metals in such a system. If successful, it could provide a more efficient way to clean up heavy metal pollutants." This work was reported in the June issue of Microbiology. [Press release] [Microbiology abstract]Login Or Register To Read Full Story