4 Environmental Biotechnology

• Prof. Dr. Khadiga Abou-Taleb

Prof. of Microbiology, Agric. Microbiology Dept., Fac. of Agric.
Ain Shams University

• E. mail: khadija_Aboutaleb@agr.asu.edu.eg

Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb

Heavy metal is any of a number of
higher atomic weight elements, which
has the properties of a metallic
substance at room temperature.
Note
o some heavy metals are essential trace elements, most can be,
at high concentrations, toxic to all forms of life, including
microbes, humans and animals.
Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb
Heavy metals can damage
 the cell membranes.

 disrupt cellular functions .

 damage the structure of the DNA.

 inhibits activity of sensitive enzymes .

Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb

 In general, metal ions can be classified as:

1) Essential and important for metabolism (Na, K, Mg, Ca, V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn
and Mo).

2) Toxic heavy metals (mercury (Hg), Chromium (Cr), Lead (Pb), Cadmium
(Cd), Arsenic (As), Strontium (Sr), Silver (Ag), Silicon (Si), Aluminium (Al),
thallium (Tl)), which have no biological function (in ecotoxicology terms,
hexavalent forms of Hg, Cr, Pb and Cd ions are the most dangerous).

Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb

3) Radionuclides (Uranium (U) , Rn, thorium (Th), Ra, Am, Tc), which are
radioactive isotopes and, although toxic to cells, they are nonetheless
important in nuclear medicine procedures.

4) Semi-metals or metalloids (boron (B), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), arsenic

(As), antimony (Sb), tellurium (Te) and polonium (Po), which exert distinct
biological effects on metals. However, metals are predominantly present in
the environment in cationic and anionic forms in semimetals, and As is often
classified as heavy metal.

Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb

Some examples of heavy metals

 Cadmium (Cd)
 Copper (Cu)
 Zinc (Zn)
 Lead(Pb)
 Mercury(Hg)
 Chromium (Cr)
 Arsenic (As)
 Radionuclides such as
U, Th , Ra, Am

Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb

 Examples of some microorganisms that have
the ability to absorb heavy elements:-

Bacteria Fungi Alga Yeast

Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb

 Bacteria Alga
Bacillus sp. Hg ,Cu
Chlorella sp. Cd ,Cu
Pseudomonas sp. Cd,Co
Ascophyllum sp. Cd ,Co
Staphylococcus sp. Cd,Pb
Fucus sp. Pb,Cu
Streptomyces sp. Cd,Pb
Rhodobacter sp. Cr,Pb, Cu

Fungi Yeast
Aspergillus spp. Cd ,Cu,Pb Sacch. cerevisiae Zn,Cu,Ni
Rhizopus spp. Cd ,Co
Penicillium spp . Pb,Cu,Ni
Mushrooms Cd,Pb,Co
Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb
 Biosorption
 Biosorption:
- The removal of metal ions or organic compounds
from a solution by microorganisms
Or
a physicochemical process that occurs naturally in
certain biomass which allows it to passively
concentrate and bind contaminants onto its cellular
structure
Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb
 Biosorption can be classified as:

cell's metabolism location

1. Metabolism dependent. 1. Extracellular accumulation .
(whereby metal ions are transported 2. Cell surface sorption .
across the cell membrane). 3. Intracellular accumulation.
2. Non -metabolism dependent
(where metals are bound to the cell walls (peptidoglycan))

Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb

 The main advantages of biosorption
1. Low cost
2. High efficiency
3. Minimization of chemical and biological sludge
4. Selectivity to specific metals
5. No additional nutrient requirement

Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb

 Mechanisms
Adsorption

Chelation Ion Exchane

Biosorption

Complexation Microprecipitation

Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb

Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb
Physical Adsorption: is the process of adhesion of molecules of liquid or gases
onto the surface of a solid particle

the metal ions are attracted by the potential negative of the cell wall, and both

are dependent on pH.

 takes place with the help of van der Waals forces. In 1998,
Kuyucak and Volesky hypothesized that uranium, cadmium, zinc,
copper and cobalt biosorption by dead biomasses of algae, fungi
and yeasts takes place through electrostatic interactions between
the metal ions in solutions and cell walls of microbial cells.
Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb
Chelation: is a type of bonding of ions and molecules to metal ions or use of a
chelator to bind with a metal
Microorganisms may also produce organic acids (e.g., citric, oxalic, gluonic,
fumaric, lactic and malic acids), which may chelate toxic metals,
thus resulting in the formation of metallo-organic molecules. These
organic acids help in the solubilization of metal compounds and
leaching from their surfaces.

Complexation: An extracellular complexation or coordination is the result of

electrostatic attraction between a metallic ion chelating agent
and a polymer that can be excreted by a microorganism that is
viable or not.
It can be caused by: biosurfactants, polysaccharides, proteins and nucleic acids.
These chelating agents contain pairs of electrons that present electrostatic
attraction and if they cling to the metallic ions, there is no electron transfer.
Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb
Precipitation: The chemical reaction that converts the dissolved metals into
solid particles
Precipitation may be either dependent on the cellular metabolism or
independent of it.
 In the former case, metal removal from solutions is often associated with the
active defense system of the microorganisms. They react in the presence of
toxic metal producing compounds, which favor the precipitation process.
 In the case of precipitation that is not dependent on cellular metabolism, it
may be a consequence of the chemical interaction between the metal and the
cell surface.
Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb
Ion-exchange: In this process, metal ions from dilute solutions are exchanged

with ions held by electrostatic forces on the exchange resin.

The disadvantages include: high cost and partial removal of certain ions.
Cell walls of microorganisms contain polysaccharides and bivalent metal ions
exchange with the counter ions of the polysaccharides. For example, the
alginates of marine algae occur as salts of K+, Na+, Ca2+, and Mg2+. These ions
can exchange with counter ions such as CO2+, Cu2+, Cd2+ and Zn2+, resulting in
the biosorptive uptake of heavy metals. The biosorption of copper by Ganoderma
lucidium and Aspergillus niger fungi was also taken up by the ion exchange
mechanism.
Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb
 Types of phosphate fertilizers

Rock phosphate
Superphosphate

Triple Super Phosphate Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb Ammonium phosphate

Importance of phosphate fertilization
Enhances the production of power molecules (ATP).
Increasing the germination of seeds.
Increasing the growth of root.
Increasing the affinity of roots to uptake water and
minerals.
Improving the quality and quantity of yield.

Shortening the ripeness period of yield .

Involved in controlling key enzyme reactions and in
the regulation of metabolic pathways.
Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb
 Some examples of heavy metals in phosphate fertilizer

Rock phosphate Superphosphate

 Cadmium (Cd)  Copper (Cu)
 Lead (Pb)
 Zinc (Zn)
 Lead(Pb) Diammonium phosphate
 Mercury(Hg)  Chromium (Cr)
 Chromium (Cr)
 Arsenic (As) Urea-phosphate
 Contained the lowest levels
 Radio nuclides such as
of heavy metals.
U, Th , Ra, Am

Continuous fertilization of soils could increase the heavy metal contents exceeding natural
abundances in soils, and transfer of these metals to the human food chain must not be overlooked.
Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb
Rocks
Bioleaching, or microbial ore leaching, is a process used to extract metals from

their ores using microorganisms. The microorganism feed on nutrients in the

minerals, causing the metal to separate from its ore.

The metals commonly extracted using this process include gold, silver, zinc,

copper, lead, arsenic, antimony, nickel, molybdenum cobalt, and uranium.

Prof. Khadiga Abou-Taleb