Identification of the microbes mediating Fe reduction in a deep saline aquifer and their influence during managed aquifer recharge

•Citrobacter sp. mediates Fe reduction in suboxic saline aquifer.•Managed aquifer recharge changes the microbial community.•In non-sulphidic aquifers, managed aquifer recharge causes limited Fe release.

In this study, indigenous microbes enabling Fe reduction under saline groundwater conditions were identified, and their potential contribution to Fe release from aquifer sediments during managed aquifer recharge (MAR) was evaluated. Sediment and groundwater samples were collected from a MAR feasibility test site in Korea, where adjacent river water will be injected into the confined aquifer. The residual groundwater had a high salinity over 26.0 psu, as well as strong reducing conditions (dissolved oxygen, DO < 2.0 mg/L; oxidation-reduction potential, ORP < − 100 mV) with high Fe2 + concentrations. The indigenous microbes that mediate the reduction of Fe-minerals in this deep saline aquifer were found to be Citrobacter sp. However, column experiments to simulate field operation scenarios indicated that additional Fe release would be limited during MAR, as the dominant microbial community in the sediment would shift from Citrobacter sp. to Pseudomonas sp. and Limnohabitans sp. as river water injection alters the pore water chemistry.

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