Use of Magnetic Bacteria to Remove Phosphorus from Eutrophic Waters
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Date
2017-03-29
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Abstract
Eutrophication or excess nutrients in rivers or lakes is a problem in the Midwest commonly caused by high levels of phosphorus in runoff from agricultural land. Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB), magnetite-containing microorganism found in aquatic ecosystems, may contain intracellular inclusions of phosphorus. This study will test whether MTB can be used to remove high concentrations of phosphorus from eutrophic conditions. The hypothesis for this project is that MTB will have some capability to remove phosphorus from their water environments, offering a microbiological solution in places where eutrophication occurs. Methods include growing the type strain of MTB, Magnetospirillum magneticum, AMB-1, in media spiked with concentrations of phosphorus at 0.01 mg/L, 0.025 mg/L, and 0.06 mg/L. These concentrations were selected to mimic, respectively, Canada’s target level of phosphorus for Lake Erie, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s target level of phosphorus in lakes, and the peak phosphorus levels found in the western Lake Erie basin in 2010. A colorimetric analysis was used to measure phosphorus in solution at different time points. A centrifuge was used to separate the cells from the media. A transmission electron microscope (TEM) was used to determine if cells in the pellet contained phosphorus inclusions. Results thus far indicate that when phosphorus containing media is inoculated, concentrations of phosphorus decrease in the media after two days. Samples with higher concentrations of phosphorus experience more rapid decreases in solution phase phosphorus. Phosphorus was recovered from the cell pellet, indicating phosphorus was removed and stored in AMB-1 cells.
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Agriculture/Ecological/Environmental Science: 3rd Place (The Ohio State University Denman Undergraduate Research Forum)
Keywords
eutrophication, magnetotactic-bacteria