PNNL

Abstract

The dissimilatory metal-reducing bacterium, Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 produced ?-MnS (rambergite) nanoparticles under the concurrent reduction of synthetic MnO2 and thiosulfate coupled to H2 oxidation. Using two MR-1 mutants defective in outer membrane c-type cytochromes (?mtrC/?omcA and ?mtrC/?omcA/?mtrF) to eliminate the direct reduction pathway for solid electron acceptors, it was determined that respiratory reduction of MnO2 was dominant relative to chemical reduction by biogenic sulfide generated from bacterial thiosulfate reduction. Although bicarbonate was excluded from the medium, incubations of MR-1 using lactate as the sole electron donor produced MnCO3 (rhodochrosite) as well as MnS in nearly equivalent amounts as estimated by micro X-ray diffraction (micro-XRD) analysis. It was concluded that carbonate released from lactate metabolism promoted MnCO3 formation and that Mn(II) mineralogy was strongly affected by carbonate ions even in the presence of abundant sulfide and weakly alkaline conditions that favor the precipitation of MnS. Formation of the biogenic MnS, as determined by a combination of micro-XRD, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and selected area electron diffraction analyses was consistent with equilibrium speciation modeling predictions. Although biogenic MnS likely only forms and is stable over a relatively narrow range of conditions, it may be a significant sink for Mn in anoxic marine basins and terrestrial subsurface sediments where Mn and sulfur compounds are undergoing concurrent reduction.