Revealing Heavy Metal-Resistant Mechanisms and Bioremediation Potential in a Novel Croceicoccus Species Using Microbial-Induced Carbonate Precipitation

Abstract

Polymetallic nodules and polymetallic sulfides are currently the major mineral resources found on the seabed. The motivation behind deep-sea mining arises from the pursuit of valuable metals, driven by both economic and geopolitical considerations. However, before mining can be authorized, it is crucial to understand the microbial adaptation and biomineralization process related to heavy metals in deep-sea environments. To search for potential candidate materials for bioremediation in deep-sea environment, two strains with high resistance to manganese and the ability to form rhodochrosite precipitates were isolated from the deep-sea polymetallic nodule areas and hydrothermal polymetallic sulfide areas. Genomic analysis revealed that the strains employed various effective survival strategies, such as motility, chemotaxis, biofilm formation, metal redox, and transporters, to adapt to heavy metal environments. The bacterial strains Ery5 and Ery15 promote the formation of carbonate crystals by creating an excessively alkaline environment and releasing extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs). Furthermore, strains Ery5 and Ery15 were identified using polyphasic taxonomy methods and proposed as a new species belonging to the genus Croceicoccus. This study presents potential candidates for bioremediation in deep-sea environments.

Microbially Induced Calcium Carbonate Precipitation as a Bioremediation Technique for Mining Waste

“…The variety of immobilization mechanisms interpreted from these studies demonstrates MICP’s versatility in the field of bioremediation. Current research investigates MICP application to tailings [ 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 ], deep-sea mining [ 94 ], and contaminated soil nearby mining and smelting operations [ 95 , 96 ].…”

The Wide-Area Coverage Path Planning Strategy for Deep-Sea Mining Vehicle Cluster Based on Deep Reinforcement Learning

“…There are massive deep-sea mineral resources stored in the deep-sea basin area [1]. Among these mineral resources, the ones with the most economic and development value are mainly polymetallic nodules and polymetallic sulfide deposits containing gold, silver, copper, zinc, cobalt, copper, nickel, manganese, and other mineral resources [2,3]. These mineral resources are widely distributed in the flat seabed surface layer at depths of 4000 to 6000 meters in the form of sediments half-buried on the seafloor surface.…”