Fulvic Acid Promotes the Reduction of Hexavalent Chromium by Shewanella putrefaciens via N-acylated-L-homoserine Lactones-Mediated Quorum Sensing

Extracellular electron transfer is crucial in the microbial reduction of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)], and N-acylated-L-homoserine lactones (AHLs) could accelerate this process. In this study, fulvic acid (FA) was used as an electron shuttle to enhance the microbial reduction process via stimulating extracellular electron transfer efficiency. Compared with 9,10-anthraquinone-2-sulfonic acid (AQS), FA had a stronger positive effect on Cr(VI) reduction by S. putrefaciens, showing the ability of stimulating S. putrefaciens to release AHLs. The concentrations of C6-HSL, C8-HSL and 3OC10-HSL increased by 11.79 ng/L, 19.82 ng/L and 3.01 ng/L after the addition of 2% FA. The bioinformation analysis indicated that AHLs could regulate the synthesis of electron shuttles by S. putrefaciens, such as riboflavin. And the addition of exogenous C6-HSL, C8-HSL, C10-HSL, C12-HSL and 3OC10-HSL increased the Cr(VI) reduction rates by 1.73%, 2.39%, 4.18%, 1.45% and 2.70%, because they could promote the release of riboflavin. It revealed a new pathway by which FA promoted microbial Cr(VI) reduction. This study also provides a novel approach for enhancing the microbial Cr(VI) reduction and a deeper understanding of the communication mechanism among microorganisms.