The effect of cadmium on fulvic acid adsorption to Bacillus subtilis

The effects of Cd on the adsorption of an aquatic fulvic acid (FA) to the surface of Bacillus subtilis were investigated from pH 2.5 to 7.0, at fixed ionic strength (0.1 M NaClO₄) and at ambient temperature (22 °C). Cd (14 mg/l) had no effect on FA adsorption at pH<5 but increased FA adsorption at pH>6. The effects of Cd (0, 14 mg/l) on FA adsorption to B. subtilis were further examined as a function of initial FA concentration (0–45 mg C/l) at pH 6.5. FA adsorption isotherms also were measured at pH 6.5 as a function of dissolved Cd concentration (0–14 mg/l) at three initial FA concentrations (4, 8, 22 mg C/l). At all FA concentrations studied at pH 6.5, FA adsorption increased with increasing initial total Cd concentration.

Under all studied conditions, preferential adsorption of high- to intermediate-molecular-weight FA components to B. subtilis resulted in a fractionation of the FA pool, with lower-molecular-weight components remaining in solution. At pH>6, Cd further enhanced the adsorption of high- to intermediate-molecular-weight FA components but did not significantly enhance the adsorption of lower-molecular-weight components. Hence, the overall process of adsorptive fractionation was not altered significantly by the presence of Cd.

Overall, the results of this study (1) demonstrate that FA adsorption to bacterial surfaces can be altered by the presence of a metal cation, and (2) provide further evidence that microbe–metal–ligand interactions may significantly affect the mobility and fate of natural organic matter in the subsurface.