Evaluation of organic substrates to enhance the sulfate-reducing activity in phosphogypsum

Several experiments were conducted to evaluate the activity and growth of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) in a metal-rich culture medium (approx. 250 mg/L Fe, 75 mg/L Zn and Cu, 10 mg/L Cd) with phosphogypsum as bacterial inoculum. Phosphogypsum was collected from the stack covering the salt-marshes of the Tinto river (SW Spain). Three organic amendments were used as carbon sources, two low-cost wastes (horse manure and legume compost) and one sample of natural soil (vegetal cover). In the experiments, sulfate was reduced to sulfide during the growth of SRB populations, and concentrations were decreased in the solution. Metal concentrations also decreased to values below the detection limit. Metal removal took place by precipitation of newly-formed sulfides. Pyrite-S was the main sulfide component (approx. 200 μmol/g and 80% of pyritization) and occurred mainly as framboidal grains and rarely as isolated polyhedral crystals. Horse manure was the most successful organic substrate to promote SRB activity (sulfate removal of 61%), followed by vegetal cover (49%) and legume compost (31%). These findings propose the possibility of using naturally-occurring SRB in the phosphogypsum for bioremediation strategies based on natural soil covers with organic amendments.

► Evidences of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) naturally occur in phosphogypsum.
► Experiments were conducted to enhance SRB activity using natural organic substrates.
► SRB were subjected to high Fe, Zn, Cu and Cd concentrations in a growth medium.
► Metal concentrations were depleted by precipitation of newly-formed sulfides.
► This paper confirms the potential role of SRB for bioremediation strategies.