Iron-reducing bacteria could detoxify chromium

Hexavalent chromium is a major environmental contaminant at several Department of Energy (DOE) sites as well as other sites around the world. Iron-reducing bacteria can convert the oxidized form of iron in clay minerals, called ferric iron, into the reduced form of iron, called ferrous iron, which can then reduce hexavalent chromium to trivalent chromium—the reduced, insoluble and less toxic form of the heavy metal that poses a lower risk of groundwater contamination. This study sheds light on the poorly understood process by which iron-reducing bacteria reduce ferric iron in clay minerals, resulting in ferrous iron that could then immobilize and detoxify chromium.

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