Removal of arsenic from groundwater by using a native isolated arsenite-oxidizing bacterium

•Arsenic in groundwater was removed by using biological processes.•An As(III)-oxidizing bacterium As7325 was isolated from As-contaminated aquifer.•Bacterium As7325 rapidly oxidizes As(III)-contaminated groundwater.•Bacterium As7325 has an effective biosorption capacity for As(V).•This study provides a potential alternative for the removal of As in groundwater.

Arsenic (As) contamination of groundwater is a significant public health concern. In this study, the removal of arsenic from groundwater using biological processes was investigated. The efficiency of arsenite (As(III)) bacterial oxidation and subsequent arsenate (As(V)) removal from contaminated groundwater using bacterial biomass was examined. A novel As(III)-oxidizing bacterium (As7325) was isolated from the aquifer in the blackfoot disease (BFD) endemic area in Taiwan. As7325 oxidized 2300 μg/l As(III) using in situ As(III)-contaminated groundwater under aerobic conditions within 1 d. After the oxidation of As(III) to As(V), As(V) removal was further examined using As7325 cell pellets. The results showed that As(V) could be adsorbed efficiently by lyophilized As7325 cell pellets, the efficiency of which was related to lyophilized cell pellet concentration. Our study conducted the examination of an alternative technology for the removal of As(III) and As(V) from groundwater, indicating that the oxidation of As(III)-contaminated groundwater by native isolated bacterium, followed by As(V) removal using bacterial biomass is a potentially effective technology for the treatment of As(III)-contaminated groundwater.