Spent brewer's yeast as a selective biosorbent for metal recovery from polymetallic waste streams.

While the amount of electronic waste is increasing worldwide, the heterogeneity of electronic scrap makes the recycling very complicated. Hydrometallurgical methods are currently applied in e-waste recycling which tend to generate complex polymetallic solutions due to dissolution of all metal components. Although biosorption has previously been described as a viable option for metal recovery and removal from low-concentration or single-metal solutions, information about the application of selective metal biosorption from polymetallic solutions is missing. In this study, an environmentally friendly and selective biosorption approach, based on the pH-dependency of metal sorption processes is presented using spent brewer's yeast to efficiently recover metals like aluminum, copper, zinc and nickel out of polymetallic solutions. Therefore, a design of experiment (DoE) approach was used to identify the effects of pH, metal, and biomass concentration, and optimize the biosorption efficiency for each individual metal. After process optimization with single-metal solutions, biosorption experiments with lyophilized waste yeast biomass were performed with synthetic polymetallic solutions where over 50% of aluminum at pH 3.5, over 40% of copper at pH 5.0 and over 70% of zinc at pH 7.5 could be removed. Moreover, more than 50% of copper at pH 3.5 and over 90% of zinc at pH 7.5 were recovered from a real polymetallic waste stream after leaching of printed-circuit boards. The reusability of yeast biomass was confirmed in five consecutive biosorption steps with little loss in metal recovery abilities. This proves that spent brewer's yeast can be sustainably used to selectively recover metals from polymetallic waste streams different to previously reported studies.

Metal recovery from spent lithium-ion batteries via two-step bioleaching using adapted chemolithotrophs from an acidic mine pit lake.

The demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has dramatically increased in recent years due to their application in various electronic devices and electric vehicles (EVs). Great amount of LIB waste is generated, most of which ends up in landfills. LIB wastes contain substantial amounts of critical metals (such as Li, Co, Ni, Mn, and Cu) and can therefore serve as valuable secondary sources of these metals. Metal recovery from the black mass (shredded spent LIBs) can be achieved via bioleaching, a microbiology-based technology that is considered to be environmentally friendly, due to its lower costs and energy consumption compared to conventional pyrometallurgy or hydrometallurgy. However, the growth and metabolism of bioleaching microorganisms can be inhibited by dissolved metals. In this study, the indigenous acidophilic chemolithotrophs in a sediment from a highly acidic and metal-contaminated mine pit lake were enriched in a selective medium containing iron, sulfur, or both electron donors. The enriched culture with the highest growth and oxidation rate and the lowest microbial diversity (dominated by Acidithiobacillus and Alicyclobacillus spp. utilizing both electron donors) was then gradually adapted to increasing concentrations of Li+, Co2+, Ni2+, Mn2+, and Cu2+. Finally, up to 100% recovery rates of Li, Co, Ni, Mn, and Al were achieved via two-step bioleaching using the adapted culture, resulting in more effective metal extraction compared to bioleaching with a non-adapted culture and abiotic control.

Optimized biogenic sulfuric acid production and application in the treatment of waste incineration residues.

The biological leaching of metals from different waste streams by bacteria is intensively investigated to address metal recycling and circular economy goals. However, usually external addition of sulfuric acid is required to maintain the low pH optimum of the bacteria to ensure efficient leaching. Extremely acidophilic Acidithiobacillus spp. producing sulfuric acid and ferric iron have been investigated for several decades in the bioleaching of metal-containing ores. Their application has now been extended to the extraction of metals from artificial ores and other secondary sources. In this study, an optimized process for producing biogenic sulfuric acid from elemental sulfur by two sulfur-oxidizing species, A. thiooxidans and A. caldus and their combinations, was investigated in batch and stirred tank experiments. Using a combined culture of both species, 1.05 M and 1.4 M biogenic sulfuric acid was produced at 30 °C and 6% elemental sulfur in batch and semi continuous modes, respectively. The acid produced was then used to control the pH in a heap bioleaching system in which iron- and sulfur-oxidizing A. ferrooxidans was applied to biologically leach metals from waste incineration residuals. Metals like Cu, Ni, Al, Mn, and Zn were successfully recovered by 99, 93, 84, 77 and 68%, respectively within three weeks of heap bioleaching. Overall, a potential value recovery of incorporated metals >70% could be achieved. This highlights the potential and novelty of applying extremely acidophilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria for cheap and efficient production of biogenic sulfuric acid and its use in pH control.

Impact of Carbon Felt Electrode Pretreatment on Anodic Biofilm Composition in Microbial Electrolysis Cells.

Sustainable technologies for energy production and storage are currently in great demand. Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) offer promising solutions for both. Several attempts have been made to improve carbon felt electrode characteristics with various pretreatments in order to enhance performance. This study was motivated by gaps in current knowledge of the impact of pretreatments on the enrichment and microbial composition of bioelectrochemical systems. Therefore, electrodes were treated with poly(neutral red), chitosan, or isopropanol in a first step and then fixed in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs). Four MECs consisting of organic substance-degrading bioanodes and methane-producing biocathodes were set up and operated in batch mode by controlling the bioanode at 400 mV vs. Ag/AgCl (3M NaCl). After 1 month of operation, Enterococcus species were dominant microorganisms attached to all bioanodes and independent of electrode pretreatment. However, electrode pretreatments led to a decrease in microbial diversity and the enrichment of specific electroactive genera, according to the type of modification used. The MEC containing isopropanol-treated electrodes achieved the highest performance due to presence of both Enterococcus and Geobacter. The obtained results might help to select suitable electrode pretreatments and support growth conditions for desired electroactive microorganisms, whereby performance of BESs and related applications, such as BES-based biosensors, could be enhanced.

Leachability of metals from waste incineration residues by iron- and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria.

Hazardous waste disposal via incineration generates a substantial amount of ashes and slags which pose an environmental risk due to their toxicity. Currently, these residues are deposited in landfills with loss of potentially recyclable raw material. In this study, the use of acidophilic bioleaching bacteria (Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans, and Leptospirillum ferrooxidans) as an environmentally friendly, efficient strategy for the recovery of valuable metals from incineration residues was investigated. Zinc, Cobalt, Copper, and Manganese from three different incineration residues were bio-extracted up to 100% using A. ferrooxidans under ferrous iron oxidation. The other metals showed lower leaching efficiencies based on the type of culture used. Sulfur-oxidizing cultures A. ferrooxidans and A. thiooxidans, containing sulfur as the sole substrate, expressed a significantly lower leaching efficiency (up to 50%). According to ICP-MS, ashes and slags contained Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Cr, Cd, and Ni in economically attractive concentrations between 0.2 and 75 mg g-1. Compared to conventional hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical processes, our biological approach provides many advantages such as: the use of a limited amount of used strong acids (H2SO4 or HCl), recycling operations at lower temperatures (~30 °C) and no emission of toxic gases during combustion (i.e., dioxins and furans).

A new bioleaching strategy for the selective recovery of aluminum from multi-layer beverage cans.

Used beverage cans (UBCs) represent one of the largest sources for secondary aluminum production worldwide. Beverage cans are one of the most frequently produced multi-layer packaging materials made of aluminum with an inner epoxy resin coating to prevent direct contact of food and aluminum surface. In the common way of UBCs recycling, the whole can is re-melted, resulting in the burning and loss of the inner epoxy coating. The use of acidophilic bacteria for the biological leaching of metals has already been well studied, but until now their applications for the selective separation of metal-containing multilayer materials has not been investigated. In this study, the three bioleaching bacteria: A. ferrooxidans, A. thiooxidans and A. caldus were explored to selectively leach the aluminum from the epoxy layer, resulting in leaching efficiencies of around 92% after three weeks of incubation. Surface characterization of the epoxy layer after bioleaching application revealed that the nature of the epoxy resin was unchanged, which could allow for recycling. The dissolved aluminum was afterwards selectively precipitated from the lixiviants at pH = 6.5, resulting in aluminum hydroxide precipitation efficiencies of almost 100%. The high leaching efficiencies and the selective precipitation shows the significant potential of acidophilic bacteria in the separation and recycling of multi-layer materials.

Increased Flame Retardancy of Enzymatic Functionalized PET and Nylon Fabrics via DNA Immobilization.

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and nylon find their main applications in working clothes, domestic furniture and as indoor decoration (curtains and carpets). The increasing attention on healthy lifestyle, together with protection and safety, gained a strong interest in today's society. In this context, reducing the flammability of textiles has been tackled by designing flame retardants (FRs) able to suppress or delay the flame propagation. Commercially available FRs for textiles often consist of brominated, chlorinated and organo-phosphorus compounds, which are considered a great concern for human health and for the environment. In this study, Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid (DNA) was investigated as a green and eco-friendly alternative to halogen-containing FRs. DNA is in fact able to provide flame retardant properties due to its intrinsically intumescent building blocks (deoxyribose, phosphoric-polyphosphoric acid, and nitrogen-containing bases). In a first step, anchor groups (i.e., carboxyl groups) for subsequent coupling of DNA were introduced to PET and nylon-6 fabrics via limited surface hydrolysis with Humicola insolens cutinase (HiC). Released monomer/oligomers were measured via HPLC (1 mM of BHET for PET and 0.07 mM of caprolactam from nylon after 72 h). In a next step, DNA immobilization on the activated polymers was studied by using three different coupling systems, namely: EDC/NHS, dopamine, and tyrosine. DNA coupling was confirmed via FT-IR that showed typical bands at 1,220, 970, and 840 cm-1. The tyrosine/DNA coupling on nylon fabrics resulted to be the most effective as certified by the lowest burning rate and total burning time (35 s, 150 mm, and 4.3 mm*s-1 for the blank and 3.5 s, 17.5 mm, and 5 mm* s-1 for nylon/tyrosine/DNA) which was also confirmed by FT-IR and ESEM/EDS measurements. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) further confirmed that tyrosine/DNA coated nylon showed a lower thermal degradation between 450 and 625°C when compared to the untreated samples.