Microbial synthesis of magnetite and Mn-substituted magnetite nanoparticles: influence of bacteria and incubation temperature.

Microbial synthesis of magnetite and metal (Co, Cr, Ni)-substituted magnetites has only recently been reported. The objective of this study was to examine the influence of Mn ion on the microbial synthesis of magnetite nanoparticles. The reductive biotransformation of an akaganeite (beta-FeOOH) or a Mn-substituted (2-20 mol%) akaganeite (Fe(1-x)Mn(x)OOH) by Shewanella loiha (PV-4, 25 degrees C) and Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus (TOR-39, 60 degrees C) was investigated under anaerobic conditions at circumneutral pH (pH = 7-8). Both bacteria formed magnetite nanoparticles using akaganeite as a magnetite precursor. By comparison of iron minerals formed by PV-4 and TOR-39 using Mn-mixed akaganeite as the precursor, it was shown that PV-4 formed siderite (FeCO3), green rust [Fe2+Fe3+(OH)16CO3 x 4H2O], and magnetite at 25 degrees C, whereas TOR-39 formed mainly nm-sized magnetite at 60 degrees C. The presence of Mn in the magnetite formed by TOR-39 was revealed by energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) is indicative of Mn substitution into magnetite crystals. EDX analysis of iron minerals formed by PV-4 showed that Mn was preferentially concentrated in the siderite and green rust. These results demonstrate that coprecipitated/sorbed Mn induced microbial formation of siderite and green rust by PV-4 at 25 degrees C, but the synthesis of Mn-substituted magnetite nanoparticles proceeded by TOR-39 at 60 degrees C. These results indicate that the bacteria have the ability to synthesize magnetite and Mn-substituted magnetite nano-crystals. Microbially facilitated synthesis of magnetite and metal-substituted magnetites at near ambient temperatures may expand the possible use of specialized ferromagnetic nano-particles.