Effective selenium volatilization under aerobic conditions and recovery from the aqueous phase by Pseudomonas stutzeri NT-I.

Selenium is an important rare metal and its recovery from waste and wastewater is necessary for its sustainable utilization. Microbial selenium volatilization is suitable for selenium recovery from industrial wastewater because volatile selenium can be recovered in recyclable forms free from other chemicals. We found that Pseudomonas stutzeri NT-I can aerobically transform selenate, selenite, and biogenic elemental selenium into dimethyldiselenide as well as dimethylselenide; these were temporarily accumulated in the aqueous phase and then transferred into the gaseous phase.

Characterization of Pseudomonas stutzeri NT-I capable of removing soluble selenium from the aqueous phase under aerobic conditions.

Pseudomonas stutzeri strain NT-I was isolated from the drainage wastewater of a selenium refinery plant. This bacterium efficiently reduced selenate to elemental selenium without prolonged accumulation of selenite under aerobic conditions. Strain NT-I was able to reduce selenate completely at high concentrations (up to 10 mM) and selenite almost completely (up to 9 mM).