铅锌尾矿中耐重金属镉的丝状真菌的分离鉴定

【目的】旨在从重金属污染地分离出耐重金属镉真菌, 获得耐受重金属镉污染的高效菌株, 为重金属污染微生物修复提供菌种资源。【方法】利用稀释平板涂布法, 采用4种培养基对粤东北梅州市梅县铅锌尾矿废弃地9个样品进行分离, 并结合形态学和ITS rDNA基因序列分析, 鉴定分离到的耐镉真菌, 最后对分离到的耐镉真菌进行最小抑制浓度 (MIC) 检测。【结果】从粤东北梅州市梅县铅锌尾矿废弃地分离出72株丝状真菌, 经形态学和分子技术鉴定, 它们主要属于曲霉属(Aspergillus)、青霉属(Penicillium)、枝孢属(Cladosporium)、油瓶霉属(Lecythophora)、拟青霉属(Paecilomyces)、镰刀孢属(Fusarium)等。MIC检测发现有4株丝状真菌耐镉浓度较高, Paecilomyces lilacinus (Thom) Samson (6?20 p), Penicillium pinophilum Hedgcock (6?16 p), Penicillium rolfsii Thom (6?16 m) 和Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht. (8?11 p) 分别为200、40、25和15 mmol/L。【结论】从粤东北梅州市梅县铅锌尾矿废弃地分离到的72株丝状真菌, 不同程度耐受重金属镉, 在重金属污染的治理中有可能发挥作用。本研究为镉污染环境的微生物修复提供了重要菌株。     

微生物烟气脱硫中硫酸盐还原阶段的限制性因素及其影响

【目的】利用硫酸盐还原菌(SRB)厌氧活性污泥进行烟气脱硫,探索硫酸盐生物还原的最适条件及重金属离子对硫酸盐生物还原的影响,以提高硫酸盐还原阶段的效率。【方法】对取自污水处理厂的SRB厌氧活性污泥进行高浓度硫酸盐胁迫驯化。分析生物脱硫过程中SRB厌氧污泥还原硫酸盐的限制性因素及影响。【结果】在最适生长条件下(pH 6.5,32°C),经驯化获得的SRB厌氧活性污泥有较强的硫酸盐还原能力。Fe2+的适量添加对硫酸盐还原有一定促进作用。SRB厌氧污泥还原硫酸盐的ThCOD/SO42-最适值为3.00,ThCOD=3.33为最适理论化学需氧量,硫酸盐还原率可达72.15%。SRB厌氧污泥还原硫酸盐反应体系中抑制SRB活性的硫化物浓度为300 mg/L。Pb2+和Ni2+在较低的浓度下(1.0 mg/L和2.0 mg/L)对硫酸盐的还原产生较强的抑制作用,而Cu2+在稍高的浓度下(8.0 mg/L)显示出明显的抑制作用。【结论】经驯化,SRB厌氧活性污泥显示出较强的硫酸盐还原能力,具有应用于工业烟气生物脱硫的潜力。去除重金属离子Pb2+、Ni2+和Cu2+可有效解除对硫酸盐生物还原作用的抑制。     

重度霾污染时空气细菌群落特征及与关键环境因子的相关性

【背景】近年来频繁发生的霾污染事件严重威胁着人类的正常生活和社会经济发展。目前对霾污染颗粒物的重要组成部分生物气溶胶的关注较少。【目的】明确霾污染时空气微生物的特征,为进一步研究空气微生物对霾污染的形成及反馈机制奠定基础。【方法】采集了北京地区重度霾污染的样品,测定颗粒物的化学组分,通过高通量测序技术分析空气细菌群落结构特征,并明确其与环境因子的相关性。【结果】霾污染显著改变空气细菌群落结构、降低α多样性。霾污染使空气中变形菌门相对丰度显著上升,放线菌门相对丰度下降。颗粒物浓度及化学组分是重度霾污染中影响空气细菌群落结构的关键环境因子。与气态污染物SO_2和NO_2相比,水溶性离子硫酸盐、硝酸盐和铵盐对空气细菌群落结构的影响更大。【结论】解析了重度霾污染时空气细菌群落特征和关键环境因子之间的相关性,为大气环境微生物的研究、空气质量的评价及霾污染的有效防治提供了数据参考。     

山西阳泉老窑水硫酸盐还原菌的分离鉴定及其还原功能驯化

【背景】含硫煤矿开采后,地表水/地下水回流至采空区形成酸性老窑水,含有高浓度重金属离子和硫酸盐,严重危害生态系统健康。利用微生物自身生长处理老窑水具有成本低、环境友好等特点,具有良好的应用前景。目前利用的硫酸盐还原菌大多只在适宜温度和中性pH条件下具有较高活性,在北方低温和酸性条件下难以发挥作用。【目的】本研究旨在从山西阳泉山底河流域的老窑水环境中分离硫酸盐还原菌,并调节温度和pH进行驯化,从而得到高效耐低温耐酸菌株,为北方老窑水微生物治理提供可用菌种资源。【方法】对山底河流域典型老窑水样品中的微生物进行富集培养,并筛选硫酸盐还原菌。通过革兰氏染色、扫描电镜对菌株形貌特性进行表征,利用16SrRNA基因序列比对进行菌种鉴定,探究其生长特性和硫酸盐还原性能。在此基础上降低温度和pH,对高效还原硫酸盐菌株进行驯化,探讨其在北方老窑水污染治理中的应用潜力。【结果】本研究筛选得到2株硫酸盐还原菌,命名为YQ-1和YQ-2,分别属于革兰氏阴性瘤胃解蛋白质菌属(Proteiniclasticum)和脱硫弧菌属(Desulfovibrio)。在30°C、pH 7.5条件下,YQ-1和YQ-2对1 1...     

河套平原不同深度高砷地下水硫酸盐还原菌群落分布特征及环境意义

【目的】探究不同深度的高砷含水层中硫酸盐还原菌的丰度、群落组成和多样性的差异,并结合硫酸盐硫同位素等多种水化参数,揭示不同深度高砷地下水中硫酸盐还原菌群落分布特征及其环境意义。【方法】以我国典型高砷地下水分布区河套平原为研究区,采集不同深度含水层中的高砷地下水样品,测定水化参数,采用qPCR对样品16S rRNA基因和dsrB基因进行定量;通过dsrB基因高通量测序对硫酸盐还原菌群落进行分析,并将dsrB基因相对丰度、群落组成及多样性与水化因子结合,进行统计学分析。【结果】基于dsrB基因的定量结果表明,浅层地下水中dsrB基因相对丰度高于深层地下水。浅层地下水中,dsrB基因相对丰度与CH₄浓度呈显著正相关,且δ³⁴S-SO₄^2–与CH₄浓度显著正相关。而深层高砷地下水中,dsrB基因相对丰度与SO₄^2–浓度、DOC浓度存在显著正相关性。高通量测序结果表明,深层地下水中硫酸盐还原菌的α多样性显著高于浅层地下水。研究区内硫酸盐还原菌可...     

水环境中重金属铜对异育银鲫肠道微生物的影响

【目的】了解水环境中重金属铜对异育银鲫肠道微生物组成及多样性的影响。【方法】采用试剂盒提取异育银鲫肠道总DNA,然后对总DNA进行16S r RNA进行扩增,构建异育银鲫肠道微生物16S r RNA基因克隆文库,最后进行数据分析。【结果】厚壁菌门、变形菌门和拟杆菌门为异育银鲫肠道中主要的细菌类群,在不同浓度的重金属铜胁迫处理后,厚壁菌门的含量明显降低。稀释性曲线、Venn图和多样性指数分析结果表明,重金属铜胁迫处理后异育银鲫肠道微生物多样性明显降低。【结论】重金属铜会使异育银鲫肠道微生物组成及多样性降低。此结果为研究重金属污染对异育银鲫健康状况的影响及异育银鲫养殖过程中病害的诊断奠定基础。     

紫金山铜矿酸性矿山废水微生物群落多样性

【背景】为避免环境污染,酸性矿山废水需经处理后才能排放,处理后的废水理化性质会发生显著变化,将影响整个微生物群落的结构。【目的】分析处理前后的细菌和真菌群落变化及其与理化参数的关系,为矿山废水的处理提供参考指标,并为矿山污染场地的修复提供理论基础。【方法】采集福建紫金山铜矿的酸性矿山废水并测定其理化性质。采用基于原核微生物16S rRNA基因V4区和真菌18S rRNA基因ITS的高通量测序技术分析水样的微生物群落结构。【结果】经中和处理后的回水与矿坑水和生物浸出液相比,pH升高,重金属离子含量显著降低。原核微生物的多样性高于真菌,回水的物种多样性高于矿坑水和浸出液。回水中变形菌门的丰度最高,矿坑水和浸出液中分别以广古菌门和硝化螺菌门的丰度最高。回水中噬氢菌属为优势类群,矿坑水和浸出液中的优势菌是钩端螺旋菌属,铁质菌属等古菌也有一定的比例。pH、Al、Mn、Zn与回水中相对丰度较高的菌属显著相关,而矿坑水和浸出液中的高丰度类群与环境因子没有显著的相关性。【结论】研究表明酸性废水的中和沉淀处理对微生物群落产生了较大的影响,微生物群落变化可以作为矿山酸性废水污染处理效果的一个参考指标。     

以圆币草发酵液为碳源时硫酸盐还原菌处理重金属废水

【目的】探索以圆币草(Hydrocotyle verticillata)发酵液作为碳源时硫酸盐还原菌处理重金属废水的效果,以便于高效去除废水中的重金属离子。【方法】以厌氧污泥为硫酸盐还原菌接种菌群,添加大型水生植物圆币草发酵液,并以乙醇、乳酸钠、葡萄糖、蔗糖和乙酸钠为对照,测定不同碳源下硫酸盐还原效率,分析其对废水中重金属离子(Pb2+,Cd2+,Cu2+,Ni2+)的去除能力。【结果】硫酸盐还原菌能有效利用圆币草发酵液中有机物,在COD/SO42-为1.2、5.0和7.0时硫酸盐最大还原率分别为24.4%、43.6%和60.0%。以发酵液为碳源时硫酸盐还原效率高于葡萄糖、蔗糖和乙酸钠,但低于乙醇和乳酸钠。在添加圆币草发酵液的批次试验反应器中,对低浓度4种重金属离子混合废水具有良好的处理效果,Cd2+、Cu2+、Pb2+和Ni2+的去除率分别为95.2%、98.7%、93.0%和89.6%。当Cd2+、Cu2+、Pb2+和Ni2+浓度为10 mg/L时,以圆币草发酵液为碳源的批次反应器对4种重金属离子仍具有良好的处理效果,去除率均超过90%,且硫酸盐还原菌的活性没有受到抑制。【结论】大型水生植物发酵液作为硫酸盐还原菌的碳源,不仅能有效进行重金属废水的生物深度处理,而且可以实现大型水生植物的资源化。     

莫克兰冷泉区沉积物原核微生物群落组成及其环境响应

【目的】冷泉系统广泛存在于大陆边缘地区,其典型特征是在海底渗漏出大量富含以甲烷为主的碳氢化合物和硫化氢等成分的低温流体。冷泉也因其独特的地球化学条件孕育着独特的原核微生物群落结构,然而,原核微生物组成与冷泉环境之间的响应关系却并不清楚。【方法】本文以莫克兰大陆边缘活跃冷泉区沉积物柱状样为研究对象,沿深度剖面分析了沉积物中的CH4以及孔隙水SO42–、H2S浓度等关键地球化学参数,并基于16S rRNA基因高通量测序对冷泉沉积物原核微生物的群落结构及其空间变化进行了系统分析。【结果】根据其硫酸盐-甲烷浓度剖面特征,从上向下,将沉积物垂向剖面划分为硫酸盐还原区(SZ)、硫酸盐-甲烷转换区(SMTZ)和产甲烷区(MZ)。通过原核微生物α多样性与基因定量研究发现,随着深度增加微生物多样性与丰度呈逐渐降低的趋势。16SrRNA基因高通量测序结果表明,SZ中以硫氧化细菌γ-变形菌纲、α-变形菌纲和埃普西隆杆菌门为主,且以硫酸盐为电子受体的与有机质降解相关的原核微生物JS1、绿弯菌门、洛基古菌纲、深古菌纲及底栖古菌纲的相对含量也较高;SMTZ存在较高含量的ANME-1a、ANME-1b与SEEP-S...     

微生物驱动硝酸盐还原耦合亚铁氧化成矿过程的锌胁迫

【目的】探究中性厌氧条件下,金属锌影响下硝酸盐依赖型铁氧化菌Pseudomonas stutzeri LS-2驱动的硝酸盐还原耦合亚铁氧化成矿过程机制,对深入理解中性厌氧环境中微生物亚铁氧化驱动的反硝化作用及重金属固定机制具有重要意义。【方法】以不同Zn(Ⅱ)浓度构建LS-2驱动的亚铁氧化成矿体系,分析不同体系中亚铁氧化速率、硝酸盐还原速率以及形成矿物的结构变化规律。【结果】LS-2驱动的硝酸盐还原耦合亚铁氧化成矿过程中,共存Zn(Ⅱ)降低该过程中硝酸盐的还原速率和亚铁氧化速率。同时,随着Zn(Ⅱ)浓度提高,抑制作用增强。微生物亚铁氧化形成的矿物通过吸附、共沉淀和离子置换等过程固定Zn(Ⅱ),降低Zn(Ⅱ)活性。Zn(Ⅱ)浓度对形成的矿物结构有较大的影响:低浓度Zn(Ⅱ)体系中,形成的矿物为纤铁矿;随着Zn(Ⅱ)浓度的提高,矿物结构与结晶度都有一定程度的变化,当Zn(Ⅱ)达到4 mmol/L时,形成的矿物主要为铁锌尖晶石。【结论】明确了重金属锌对LS-2菌株反硝化及亚铁氧化过程的抑制规律,同时阐明了Zn(Ⅱ)浓度对形成矿物结构的影响。研究结果有助于深入认识中性厌氧环境中重金属与微生物驱动的铁循环和反硝化过程的耦合作用,为土壤重金属污染防治提供理论支撑。     

Enhancement of sulfate reduction activity using granular sludge in anaerobic treatment of acid mine drainage

Three laboratory-scale, upflow anaerobic reactors were operated for about 250 d to determine the effect of activated granular sludge with high density of sulfate reducing bacteria in the treatment of artificial acid mine drainage. Sulfate reducing bacteria in the granular sludge taken from the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor were 1–2×10⁶ c.f.u. g^–1, which is at least 10 times higher than that of organic substrates such as cow manure and oak compost. The reactors with granular sludge effectively removed over 99% of heavy metals, such as Fe, Al, Cu, and Cd during the experiment. This result suggests a feasibility of the application of granular sludge as a source of sulfate reducing bacteria for the treatment of acid mine drainage.     

Phospholipid Fatty Acid Composition and Heavy Metal Tolerance of Soil Microbial Communities along Two Heavy Metal-Polluted Gradients in Coniferous Forests

The effects of long-term heavy metal deposition on microbial community structure and the level of bacterial community tolerance were studied along two different gradients in Scandinavian coniferous forest soils. One was near the Harjavalta smelter in Finland, and one was at Ronnskar in Sweden. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis revealed a gradual change in soil microbial communities along both pollution gradients, and most of the individual PLFAs changed similarly to metal pollution at both sites. The relative quantities of the PLFAs br18:0, br17:0, i16:0, and i16:1 increased with increasing heavy metal concentration, while those of 20:4 and 18:2(omega)6, which is a predominant PLFA in many fungi, decreased. The fungal part of the microbial biomass was found to be more sensitive to heavy metals. This resulted in a decreased fungal/bacterial biomass ratio along the pollution gradient towards the smelters. The thymidine incorporation technique was used to study the heavy metal tolerance of the bacteria. The bacterial community at the Harjavalta smelter, exposed mainly to Cu deposition, exhibited an increased tolerance to Cu but not to Cd, Ni, and Zn. At the Ronnskar smelter the deposition consisting of a mixture of metals increased the bacterial community tolerance to all tested metals. Both the PLFA pattern and the bacterial community tolerance were affected at lower soil metal concentrations than were bacterial counts and bacterial activities. At Harjavalta the increased Cu tolerance of the bacteria and the change in the PLFA pattern of the microbial community were found at the same soil Cu concentrations. This indicated that the altered PLFA pattern was at least partly due to an altered, more metal-tolerant bacterial community. At Ronnskar, where the PLFA data varied more, a correlation between bacterial community tolerance and an altered PLFA pattern was found up to 10 to 15 km from the smelter. Farther away changes in the PLFA pattern could not be explained by an increased community tolerance to metals.     

德兴铜矿尾矿重金属污染对土壤中微生物多样性的影响

【目的】为更好地了解重金属污染与微生物多样性之间的相互作用关系,以江西德兴铜矿4#尾砂库为研究对象,采集野外实地样品共16件进行分析(包括尾砂样品以及周围农田和菜地土壤样品)。【方法】一方面对样品中可培养异养细菌进行平板计数,一方面采用变性梯度凝胶电泳(Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis,DGGE)对样品中可培养和不可培养微生物分子生态多样性进行研究;同时采用PCA(Principle component analysis)方法分析样品理化性质、重金属及主要元素与可培养细菌数量及微生物多样性之间的相互关系。【结果】元素分析结果表明该尾矿区样品受到不同程度重金属Cu、Cd、Zn、Ni、Pb和Cr的污染;可培养异养细菌在尾砂样品中数量最少,在菜地和农田土壤样品中有明显增加;多样性指数(Shannon-Weaver index H)计算结果发现H最大值出现在距离尾矿中等距离、重金属浓度在中等程度的样品中。PCA分析结果表明可培养异养菌数量与理化性质如有机碳、有机质、含水率等相关性较大,重金属影响不明显;而多样性指数H除与上述理化性质相关性较大外,还受到重金属Ag、Zn、As、Pb、Ni、Cr等的影响,而在样品中含量普遍比较高的重金属如Cu、Cd等并不成为影响微生物多样性的主要因素。【结论】从这些长期受重金属污染的野外实地样品来看,以上结果说明不同重金属浓度对微生物多样性的影响可能并不是实验室研究的简单的线性关系。     

Increased removal of nickel and organics in the upflow anaerobic sludge bed filter reactor using sulfate and sulfide additions

Glucose (total organic carbon: 1,200 mg/l) and nickel (0 to 40 mg/l) were added to an anaerobic upflow sludge bed filter reactor. The removal efficiencies of total organic carbon and nickel were maintained to 95% and 98.5%, respectively, since nickel was precipitated with sulfide which was converted from sulfate added at 80 mg SO4-S/l by sulfate reducing bacteria. Sulfate therefore enhances its organic removal efficiency of AUBF reactor under the presence of heavy metal.     

Sulfate reduction at pH 4.0 for treatment of process and wastewaters

Acidic industrial process and wastewaters often contain high sulfate and metal concentrations and their direct biological treatment is thus far not possible as biological processes at pH < 5 have been neglected. Sulfate‐reducing bacteria convert sulfate to sulfide that can subsequently be used to recover metals as metal‐sulfides precipitate. This study reports on high‐rate sulfate reduction with a mixed microbial community at pH 4.0 and 4.5 with hydrogen and/or formate as electron donors. The maximum sulfate reducing activity at pH 4.0 was sustained for over 40 days with a specific activity 500‐fold greater than previously reported values: 151 mmol sulfate reduced/L reactor liquid per day with a maximum specific activity of 84 mmol sulfate per gram of volatile suspended solids per day. The biomass yield gradually decreased from 38 to 0.4 g volatile suspended solids per kilogram of sulfate when decreasing the reactor pH from pH 6 to 4. The microorganisms had a high maintenance requirement probably due maintaining pH homeostasis and the toxicity of sulfide at low pH. The microbial community diversity in the pH 4.0 membrane bioreactor decreased over time, while the diversity of the sulfate reducing community increased. Thus, a specialized microbial community containing a lower proportion of microorganisms capable of activity at pH 4 developed in the reactor compared with those present at the start of the experiment. The 16S rRNA genes identified from the pH 4.0 grown mixed culture were most similar to those of Desulfovibrio species and Desulfosporosinus sp. M1. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2010     

剩余活性污泥完全资源化利用微生物集成技术

剩余活性污泥完全资源化利用微生物集成技术包括: 使用土著PHA合成菌回注法驯化并发酵活性污泥, 生产生物降解材料聚羟基脂肪酸酯(PHA); 采用土著嗜酸性氧化亚铁硫杆菌和氧化硫硫杆菌进行生物淋滤, 去除重金属; 以解磷菌和解钾菌为菌种, 进行固态发酵, 生产生物菌肥。结果表明, 500 L中试PHA占挥发性悬浮固体的20%以上; 重金属含量达到国家排放要求; 生物菌肥中活菌数大于1×108 个/g以上。实现了剩余活性污泥的近零排放。     

Association of microbial community composition and activity with lead,chromium, and hydrocarbon contamination

Microbial community composition and activity were characterized in soil contaminated with lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), and hydrocarbons. Contaminant levels were very heterogeneous and ranged from 50 to 16,700 mg of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) kg of soil(-1), 3 to 3,300 mg of total Cr kg of soil(-1), and 1 to 17,100 mg of Pb kg of soil(-1). Microbial community compositions were estimated from the patterns of phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA); these were considerably different among the 14 soil samples. Statistical analyses suggested that the variation in PLFA was more correlated with soil hydrocarbons than with the levels of Cr and Pb. The metal sensitivity of the microbial community was determined by extracting bacteria from soil and measuring [(3)H]leucine incorporation as a function of metal concentration. Six soil samples collected in the spring of 1999 had IC(50) values (the heavy metal concentrations giving 50% reduction of microbial activity) of approximately 2.5 mM for CrO(4)2- and 0.01 mM for Pb2+. Much higher levels of Pb were required to inhibit [14C]glucose mineralization directly in soils. In microcosm experiments with these samples, microbial biomass and the ratio of microbial biomass to soil organic C were not correlated with the concentrations of hydrocarbons and heavy metals. However, microbial C respiration in samples with a higher level of hydrocarbons differed from the other soils no matter whether complex organic C (alfalfa) was added or not. The ratios of microbial C respiration to microbial biomass differed significantly among the soil samples (P < 0.05) and were relatively high in soils contaminated with hydrocarbons or heavy metals. Our results suggest that the soil microbial community was predominantly affected by hydrocarbons.     

Development of Sulfidogenic Sludge from Marine Sediments and Trichloroethylene Reduction in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor

The importance of microbial sulfate reduction relies on the various applications that it offers in environmental biotechnology. Engineered sulfate reduction is used in industrial wastewater treatment to remove large concentrations of sulfate along with the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and heavy metals. The most common approach to the process is with anaerobic bioreactors in which sulfidogenic sludge is obtained through adaptation of predominantly methanogenic granular sludge to sulfidogenesis. This process may take a long time and does not always eliminate the competition for substrate due to the presence of methanogens in the sludge. In this work, we propose a novel approach to obtain sulfidogenic sludge in which hydrothermal vents sediments are the original source of microorganisms. The microbial community developed in the presence of sulfate and volatile fatty acids is wide enough to sustain sulfate reduction over a long period of time without exhibiting inhibition due to sulfide. This protocol describes the procedure to generate the sludge from the sediments in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) type of reactor. Furthermore, the protocol presents the procedure to demonstrate the capability of the sludge to remove by reductive dechlorination a model of a highly toxic organic pollutant such as trichloroethylene (TCE). The protocol is divided in three stages: (1) the formation of the sludge and the determination of its sulfate reducing activity in the UASB, (2) the experiment to remove the TCE by the sludge, and (3) the identification of microorganisms in the sludge after the TCE reduction. Although in this case the sediments were taken from a site located in Mexico, the generation of a sulfidogenic sludge by using this procedure may work if a different source of sediments is taken since marine sediments are a natural pool of microorganisms that may be enriched in sulfate reducing bacteria.     

Zero valent iron as an electron-donor for methanogenesis and sulfate reduction in anaerobic sludge

Zero valent iron (ZVI) is a reactive media commonly utilized in permeable reactive barriers (PRBs). Sulfate reducing bacteria are being considered for the immobilization of heavy metals in PRBs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of ZVI as an electron donor for sulfate reduction in natural mixed anaerobic cultures. The ability of methanogens to utilize ZVI as an electron-donor was also explored since these microorganisms often compete with sulfate reducers for common substrates. Four grades of ZVI of different particle sizes (1.120, 0.149, 0.044, and 0.010 mm diameter) were compared as electron donor in batch bioassays inoculated with anaerobic bioreactor sludge. Methanogenesis was evaluated in mineral media lacking sulfate. Sulfate reduction was evaluated in mineral media containing sulfate and the specific methanogenic inhibitor, 2-bromoethane sulfonate. ZVI contributed to significant increases in methane production and sulfate reduction-compared to endogenous substrate controls. The rates of methane formation or sulfate reduction were positively correlated with the surface area of ZVI. The highest rates of 0.310 mmol CH4 formed/mol Fe0.day and 0.804 mmol SO4(2-) reduced/mol Fe0.day were obtained with the finest grade of ZVI (0.01 mm). The results demonstrate that ZVI is readily utilized as a slow-release electron donor for methanogenesis and sulfate reduction in anaerobic sludge; and therefore, has a promising potential in bioremediation applications.