Novel anaerobic selenium oxyanion reducers native to FGD wastewater for enhanced selenium removal

ABSTRACT Biological treatment is a recognized approach for removing selenate and selenite oxyanions present in flue gas desulfurization (FGD) wastewater. However, the knowledge of the specific microbial species or communities responsible for reducing water-soluble selenium oxyanions to insoluble elemental selenium remains limited. In addition, the selenium oxyanion reduction genes and pathways have yet to be understood in these wastewaters. This study characterizes selenium oxyanion-reducing bacteria (SeRB) native to FGD wastewater, and the resulting elemental selenium particles formed. By selecting native SeRB microbes in a defined media, a novel resolution of these organisms has been achieved. This research identifies previously unrecognized selenium oxyanion-reducing capabilities in Anaerosolibacter , alongside predominant SeRB from Mesobacillus and Tepidibacillus genera. This work encompasses both 16S and metagenomic techniques to recover novel metagenome-assembled genomes, distinct to this environment. The biogenic selenium produced by these organisms was predominantly of elemental selenium, either amorphous or with a hexagonal structure. This study identifies the SeRB present in FGD wastewater and characterizes their selenium products, offering crucial insights to enhance the efficiency of biological treatment strategies and the potential of selenium recovery from this industrial waste. IMPORTANCE This is the first report on the culturability and recovery of taxonomic and metabolic information of the anaerobic selenium oxyanion-reducing bacteria (SeRB) in flue gas desulfurization (FGD) wastewater. Selenium is a regulated contaminant in FGD wastewater found on average to be 3,130 µg/L that must be removed to meet EPA discharge limits of 16 µg/L (D. B. Gingerich, E. Grol, and M. S. Mauter, Environ Sci Water Res Technol 4:909–925, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1039/C8EW00264A ; also see U.S. EPA EPA-821-R-20-001, 2020). Better understanding of anaerobic SeRB and the microbial community in FGD wastewater is needed to harness their full potential for the bioremediation and recovery of selenium from FGD wastewater. Optimizing the biotreatment strategies for these wastewaters promises to yield cleaner and healthier waterways and ecosystems, even as the United States undergoes a shift in its energy landscape.