Biological Manganese Removal by Novel Halotolerant Bacteria Isolated from River Water

Manganese-oxidizing bacteria have been widely investigated for bioremediation of Mn-contaminated water sources and for production of biogenic Mn oxides that have extensive applications in environmental remediation. In this study, a total of 5 Mn-resistant bacteria were isolated from river water and investigated for Mn removal. Among them,Ochrobactrumsp. NDMn-6 exhibited the highest Mn removal efficiency (99.1%). The final precipitates produced by this strain were defined as a mixture of Mn2O3, MnO2, and MnCO3. Optimal Mn-removal performance by strain NDMn-6 was obtained at a temperature range of 25-30 degrees C and the salinity of 0.1-0.5%. More interestingly, strain NDMn-6 could be resistant to salinities of up to 5%, revealing that this strain could be possibly applied for Mn remediation of high salinity regions or industrial saline wastewaters. This study also revealed the potential of self-detoxification mechanisms, wherein river water contaminated with Mn could be cleaned by indigenous bacteria through an appropriate biostimulation scheme.