Denitrification mechanism in oxygen-rich aquatic environments through long-distance electron transfer
Abstract The lack of electron donors in oxygen-rich aquatic environments limits the ability of natural denitrification to remove excess nitrate, leading to eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems. Herein, we demonstrate that electron-rich substances in river or lake sediments could participate in long-...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2022-11-01
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| Series: | npj Clean Water |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-022-00205-x |
| _version_ | 1817970263665410048 |
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| author | Ming-Zhi Wei Jin-Wei Liu Qin-Zheng Yang An Xue Hao Wu Jin-Ren Ni Lea R. Winter Menachem Elimelech Hua-Zhang Zhao |
| author_facet | Ming-Zhi Wei Jin-Wei Liu Qin-Zheng Yang An Xue Hao Wu Jin-Ren Ni Lea R. Winter Menachem Elimelech Hua-Zhang Zhao |
| author_sort | Ming-Zhi Wei |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The lack of electron donors in oxygen-rich aquatic environments limits the ability of natural denitrification to remove excess nitrate, leading to eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems. Herein, we demonstrate that electron-rich substances in river or lake sediments could participate in long-distance electron rebalancing to reduce nitrate in the overlying water. A microstructure containing Dechloromonas and consisting of an inner layer of green rust and an outer layer of lepidocrocite forms in the sediment-water system through synergetic evolution and self-assembly. The microstructure enables long-distance electron transfer from the sediment to dilute nitrate in the overlying water. Specifically, the inner green rust adsorbs nitrate and reduces the kinetic barrier for denitrification via an Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox mediator. Our study reveals the mechanism of spontaneous electron transfer between distant and dilute electron donors and acceptors to achieve denitrification in electron-deficient aquatic systems. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T20:31:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ce5b6fade3264dddadc430dbc844909b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2059-7037 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T20:31:40Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Clean Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-ce5b6fade3264dddadc430dbc844909b2022-12-22T02:31:09ZengNature Portfolionpj Clean Water2059-70372022-11-01511910.1038/s41545-022-00205-xDenitrification mechanism in oxygen-rich aquatic environments through long-distance electron transferMing-Zhi Wei0Jin-Wei Liu1Qin-Zheng Yang2An Xue3Hao Wu4Jin-Ren Ni5Lea R. Winter6Menachem Elimelech7Hua-Zhang Zhao8Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences (Ministry of Education), College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking UniversityKey Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences (Ministry of Education), College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking UniversityState Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, Qilu University of Technology, Shandong Academy of SciencesKey Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences (Ministry of Education), College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking UniversityHebei Key Laboratory of Heavy Metal Deep-Remediation in Water and Resource Reuse, Yanshan UniversityKey Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences (Ministry of Education), College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking UniversityDepartment of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale UniversityDepartment of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale UniversityKey Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences (Ministry of Education), College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking UniversityAbstract The lack of electron donors in oxygen-rich aquatic environments limits the ability of natural denitrification to remove excess nitrate, leading to eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems. Herein, we demonstrate that electron-rich substances in river or lake sediments could participate in long-distance electron rebalancing to reduce nitrate in the overlying water. A microstructure containing Dechloromonas and consisting of an inner layer of green rust and an outer layer of lepidocrocite forms in the sediment-water system through synergetic evolution and self-assembly. The microstructure enables long-distance electron transfer from the sediment to dilute nitrate in the overlying water. Specifically, the inner green rust adsorbs nitrate and reduces the kinetic barrier for denitrification via an Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox mediator. Our study reveals the mechanism of spontaneous electron transfer between distant and dilute electron donors and acceptors to achieve denitrification in electron-deficient aquatic systems.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-022-00205-x |
| spellingShingle | Ming-Zhi Wei Jin-Wei Liu Qin-Zheng Yang An Xue Hao Wu Jin-Ren Ni Lea R. Winter Menachem Elimelech Hua-Zhang Zhao Denitrification mechanism in oxygen-rich aquatic environments through long-distance electron transfer npj Clean Water |
| title | Denitrification mechanism in oxygen-rich aquatic environments through long-distance electron transfer |
| title_full | Denitrification mechanism in oxygen-rich aquatic environments through long-distance electron transfer |
| title_fullStr | Denitrification mechanism in oxygen-rich aquatic environments through long-distance electron transfer |
| title_full_unstemmed | Denitrification mechanism in oxygen-rich aquatic environments through long-distance electron transfer |
| title_short | Denitrification mechanism in oxygen-rich aquatic environments through long-distance electron transfer |
| title_sort | denitrification mechanism in oxygen rich aquatic environments through long distance electron transfer |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-022-00205-x |
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