Microarray-Based Characterization of Microbial Community Functional Structure and Heterogeneity Associated with Acid Mine Drainages

Acid mine drainage (AMD) presents numerous problems to the aquatic life and surrounding ecosystems. However, little is known about the geographic distribution, diversity, composition, structure and function of AMD microbial communities. In this study, an AMD-specific microarray was used to analyze nine AMD microbial communities, and showed that those nine AMD microbial communities had high variations measured by the number of detected genes, overlapping genes between samples, unique genes, and diversity indices. Statistical analyses indicated that the concentrations of Fe, S, Ca, Mg, Zn, Cu and pH had strong impacts on both phylogenetic and functional diversity, composition, and structure of AMD microbial communities. This study provides insights into our understanding of the geographic distribution, diversity, composition, structure and functional potential of AMD microbial communities and key environmental factors shaping them.

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Dynamic Succession of Groundwater Functional Microbial Communities in Response to Emulsified Vegetable Oil Amendment during SustainedIn SituU(VI) Reduction

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.00043-15 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 81 (12) ◽

pp. 4164-4172 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Ping Zhang ◽

Wei-Min Wu ◽

Joy D. Van Nostrand ◽

Ye Deng ◽

Zhili He ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Communities ◽

Vegetable Oil ◽

Relative Abundance ◽

Pilot Scale ◽

Functional Gene ◽

Functional Genes ◽

Composition And Structure ◽

Composition Structure ◽

And Function

ABSTRACTA pilot-scale field experiment demonstrated that a one-time amendment of emulsified vegetable oil (EVO) reduced groundwater U(VI) concentrations for 1 year in a fast-flowing aquifer. However, little is known about how EVO amendment stimulates the functional gene composition, structure, and dynamics of groundwater microbial communities toward prolonged U(VI) reduction. In this study, we hypothesized that EVO amendment would shift the functional gene composition and structure of groundwater microbial communities and stimulate key functional genes/groups involved in EVO biodegradation and reduction of electron acceptors in the aquifer. To test these hypotheses, groundwater microbial communities after EVO amendment were analyzed using a comprehensive functional gene microarray. Our results showed that EVO amendment stimulated sequential shifts in the functional composition and structure of groundwater microbial communities. Particularly, the relative abundance of key functional genes/groups involved in EVO biodegradation and the reduction of NO3−, Mn(IV), Fe(III), U(VI), and SO42−significantly increased, especially during the active U(VI) reduction period. The relative abundance for some of these key functional genes/groups remained elevated over 9 months. Montel tests suggested that the dynamics in the abundance, composition, and structure of these key functional genes/groups were significantly correlated with groundwater concentrations of acetate, NO3−, Mn(II), Fe(II), U(VI), and SO42−. Our results suggest that EVO amendment stimulated dynamic succession of key functional microbial communities. This study improves our understanding of the composition, structure, and function changes needed for groundwater microbial communities to sustain a long-term U(VI) reduction.

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HYDROGEOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF AN ABANDONED MINE POOL USING FEFLOW-3D TO MITIGATE AGAINST BREACH AND POTENTIAL ACID MINE DRAINAGE

10.1130/abs/2018am-322009 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Rennie B. Kaunda ◽

◽

Ross Mower

Keyword(s):

Acid Mine Drainage ◽

Mine Drainage ◽

Abandoned Mine ◽

Acid Mine ◽

Potential Acid ◽

Mine Pool

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Characterization of water reservoirs affected by acid mine drainage: geochemical, mineralogical, and biological (diatoms) properties of the water

Environmental Science and Pollution Research ◽

10.1007/s11356-015-4776-0 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 23 (7) ◽

pp. 6002-6011 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

T. Valente ◽

M. J. Rivera ◽

S. F. P. Almeida ◽

C. Delgado ◽

P. Gomes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acid Mine Drainage ◽

Mine Drainage ◽

Water Reservoirs ◽

Acid Mine

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Assessment of Characteristics of Acid Mine Drainage Treated with Fly Ash

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11093910 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 3910

Author(s):

Saba Shirin ◽

Aarif Jamal ◽

Christina Emmanouil ◽

Akhilesh Kumar Yadav

Keyword(s):

Fly Ash ◽

Acid Mine Drainage ◽

Power Plants ◽

Mine Drainage ◽

Thermal Power ◽

Mineralogical Characterization ◽

Acid Mine ◽

Before And After ◽

Abandoned Coal Mines

Acid mine drainage (AMD) occurs naturally in abandoned coal mines, and it contains hazardous toxic elements in varying concentrations. In the present research, AMD samples collected from an abandoned mine were treated with fly ash samples from four thermal power plants in Singrauli Coalfield in the proximate area, at optimized concentrations. The AMD samples were analyzed for physicochemical parameters and metal content before and after fly ash treatment. Morphological, geochemical and mineralogical characterization of the fly ash was performed using SEM, XRF and XRD. This laboratory-scale investigation indicated that fly ash had appreciable neutralization potential, increasing AMD pH and decreasing elemental and sulfate concentrations. Therefore, fly ash may be effectively used for AMD neutralization, and its suitability for the management of coalfield AMD pits should be assessed further.

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Mineralogical and Geochemical Characterization of Gold Mining Tailings and Their Potential to Generate Acid Mine Drainage (Minas Gerais, Brazil)

Minerals ◽

10.3390/min11010039 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 39

Author(s):

Mariana Lemos ◽

Teresa Valente ◽

Paula Marinho Reis ◽

Rita Fonseca ◽

Itamar Delbem ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acid Mine Drainage ◽

Mine Drainage ◽

Minas Gerais ◽

Acid Mine ◽

Fine Grain ◽

Mineralogical Characteristics ◽

Tailing Dams ◽

The One ◽

And Control

For more than 30 years, sulfide gold ores were treated in metallurgic plants located in Nova Lima, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and accumulated in the Cocoruto tailings dam. Both flotation and leaching tailings from a deactivated circuit, as well as roasted and leaching tailings from an ongoing plant, were studied for their acid mine drainage potential and elements’ mobility. Detailed characterization of both tailings types indicates the presence of fine-grain size material hosting substantial amounts of sulfides that exhibit distinct geochemical and mineralogical characteristics. The samples from the ongoing plant show high grades of Fe in the form of oxides, cyanide, and sulfates. Differently, samples from the old circuit shave higher average concentrations of Al (0.88%), Ca (2.4%), Mg (0.96%), and Mn (0.17%), present as silicates and carbonates. These samples also show relics of preserved sulfides, such as pyrite and pyrrhotite. Concentrations of Zn, Cu, Au, and As are higher in the tailings of the ongoing circuit, while Cr and Hg stand out in the tailings of the deactivated circuit. Although the obtained results show that the sulfide wastes do not tend to generate acid mine drainage, leaching tests indicate the possibility of mobilization of toxic elements, namely As and Mn in the old circuit, and Sb, As, Fe, Ni, and Se in the tailings of the plant that still works. This work highlights the need for proper management and control of tailing dams even in alkaline drainage environments such as the one of the Cocoruto dam. Furthermore, strong knowledge of the tailings’ dynamics in terms of geochemistry and mineralogy would be pivotal to support long-term decisions on wastes management and disposal.

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Diversity and Genomic Characterization of a Novel Parvarchaeota Family in Acid Mine Drainage Sediments

Frontiers in Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fmicb.2020.612257 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Zhen-Hao Luo ◽

Qi Li ◽

Yan Lai ◽

Hao Chen ◽

Bin Liao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acid Mine Drainage ◽

Evolutionary History ◽

Mine Drainage ◽

Iron Cycling ◽

Acid Mine ◽

History Analysis ◽

Genomic Characterization ◽

Family Based ◽

Phylogenomic Analyses

Recent genome-resolved metagenomic analyses of microbial communities from diverse environments have led to the discovery of many novel lineages that significantly expand the phylogenetic breadth of Archaea. Here, we report the genomic characterization of a new archaeal family based on five metagenome-assembled genomes retrieved from acid mine drainage sediments. Phylogenomic analyses placed these uncultivated archaea at the root of the candidate phylum Parvarchaeota, which expand this lesser-known phylum into two family levels. Genes involved in environmental adaptation and carbohydrate and protein utilization were identified in the ultra-small genomes (estimated size 0.53–0.76 Mb), indicating a survival strategy in this harsh environment (low pH and high heavy metal content). The detection of genes with homology to sulfocyanin suggested a potential involvement in iron cycling. Nevertheless, the absence of the ability to synthesize amino acids and nucleotides implies that these archaea may acquire these biomolecules from the environment or other community members. Applying evolutionary history analysis to Parvarchaeota suggested that members of the two families could broaden their niches by acquiring the potentials of utilizing different substrates. This study expands our knowledge of the diversity, metabolic capacity, and evolutionary history of the Parvarchaeota.

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Comparison of Acid Mine Drainage Microbial Communities in Physically and Geochemically Distinct Ecosystems

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.66.11.4962-4971.2000 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 66 (11) ◽

pp. 4962-4971 ◽

Cited By ~ 207

Author(s):

Philip L. Bond ◽

Greg K. Druschel ◽

Jillian F. Banfield

Keyword(s):

Acid Mine Drainage ◽

Microbial Communities ◽

Mine Drainage ◽

Acid Leaching ◽

Massive Sulfide ◽

Molecular Data ◽

Oligonucleotide Probes ◽

Acid Mine ◽

Ore Body ◽

A Site

ABSTRACT This study presents population analyses of microbial communities inhabiting a site of extreme acid mine drainage (AMD) production. The site is the inactive underground Richmond mine at Iron Mountain, Calif., where the weathering of a massive sulfide ore body (mostly pyrite) produces solutions with pHs of ∼0.5 to ∼1.0. Here we used a suite of oligonucleotide probes, designed from molecular data recently acquired from the site, to analyze a number of microbial environments by fluorescent in situ hybridization. Microbial-community analyses were correlated with geochemical and mineralogical data from those environments. The environments investigated were within the ore body and thus at the site of pyrite dissolution, as opposed to environments that occur downstream of the dissolution. Few organism types, as defined by the specificities of the oligonucleotide probes, dominated the microbial communities. The majority of the dominant organisms detected were newly discovered or organisms only recently associated with acid-leaching environments. “Ferroplasma” spp. were detected in many of the communities and were particularly dominant in environments of lowest pH and highest ionic strength.Leptospirillum spp. were also detected in many slime and pyrite-dominated environments. In samples of an unusual subaerial slime, a new uncultured Leptospirillum sp. dominated.Sulfobacillus spp. were detected as a prominent inhabitant in warmer (∼43°C) environments. The information gathered here is critical for determining organisms important to AMD production at Iron Mountain and for directing future studies of this process. The findings presented here also have relevance to the microbiology of industrial bioleaching and to the understanding of geochemical iron and sulfur cycles.

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Metagenome assembled genomes of novel taxa from an acid mine drainage environment

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.00772-21 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Christen L. Grettenberger ◽

Trinity L. Hamilton

Keyword(s):

Acid Mine Drainage ◽

16S Rrna ◽

16S Rrna Gene ◽

Microbial Communities ◽

Mine Drainage ◽

Biogeochemical Cycling ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Metabolic Potential ◽

Carbon And Nitrogen ◽

Acid Mine

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a global problem in which iron sulfide minerals oxidize and generate acidic, metal-rich water. Bioremediation relies on understanding how microbial communities inhabiting an AMD site contribute to biogeochemical cycling. A number of studies have reported community composition in AMD sites from 16S rRNA gene amplicons but it remains difficult to link taxa to function, especially in the absence of closely related cultured species or those with published genomes. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of genomes and cultured taxa from AMD environments. Here, we report 29 novel metagenome assembled genomes from Cabin Branch, an AMD site in the Daniel Boone National Forest, KY, USA. The genomes span 11 bacterial phyla and one Archaea and include taxa that contribute to carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and iron cycling. These data reveal overlooked taxa that contribute to carbon fixation in AMD sites as well as uncharacterized Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria. These data provide additional context for 16S rRNA gene studies, add to our understanding of the taxa involved in biogeochemical cycling in AMD environments, and can inform bioremediation strategies. IMPORTANCE Bioremediating acid mine drainage requires understanding how microbial communities influence geochemical cycling of iron and sulfur and biologically important elements like carbon and nitrogen. Research in this area has provided an abundance of 16S rRNA gene amplicon data. However, linking these data to metabolisms is difficult because many AMD taxa are uncultured or lack published genomes. Here, we present metagenome assembled genomes from 29 novel AMD taxa and detail their metabolic potential. These data provide information on AMD taxa that could be important for bioremediation strategies including taxa that are involved in cycling iron, sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen.

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