Characterization of Microbial Consortia and the Products Associated with Selenium Reduction in Real Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) Wastewater

Conference · Thu Jun 19 04:00:00 EDT 2025

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/2570843· OSTI ID:2570843

Sarkar, Preom ^[1]; Beebe, Meghan ^[2]; Bhandari, Gita ^[2]; Wielinski, Jonas ^[3]; Lowry, Gregory ^[3]; Gulliver, Djuna ^[4]

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1. Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)
2. NETL Site Support Contractor, National Energy Technology Laboratory
3. Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)
4. NETL

Biological treatment is a recognized approach for removing toxic selenate and selenite oxyanions present in flue gas desulfurization (FGD) wastewater. However, the knowledge on the specific microbial species or communities responsible for reducing water-soluble selenium oxyanions to insoluble elemental selenium remains limited. In addition, the selenium oxyanion reduction genes and pathways have yet to be understood in these wastewaters. This study characterizes selenium oxyanion reducing bacteria (SeRB) native to FGD wastewater, and the resulting elemental selenium particles formed. By selecting for native SeRB microbes in a defined media, a novel resolution of these organisms has been achieved. This research identifies previously unrecognized selenium oxyanion reducing capabilities in Anaerosolibacter, alongside predominant SeRB from Mesobacillus and Tepidibacillus genera. This work encompasses both 16S and metagenomic techniques to recover novel metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs), distinct to this environment. The biogenic selenium produced by these organisms were predominantly of elemental selenium, in either amorphous or with a hexagonal structure. In addition, the elemental selenium particles formed where shown to increase in purity as the microbes were enriched. This study identifies the SeRB present in FGD wastewater and characterizes their selenium products, offering crucial insights to enhance the efficiency of biological treatment strategies and the potential of selenium recovery from this industrial waste.

• Research Organization: National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, Morgantown, WV, and Albany, OR (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM); USDOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), Office of Resource Sustainability (FE-30)
• OSTI ID: 2570843
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

microbiology