Biomineralisation of the ferromanganese crusts in the Western Pacific Ocean

Abstract

Ferromanganese (Fe-Mn) crusts are deep-sea sedimentary polymetallic minerals that are explored for their economic potential, particularly for Mn, Cu, Co, Ni and rare earth elements (REEs). The precipitation mechanism of the metallic elements in crusts has remained controversial between chemical oxidation (abiotic origin) and microbial enzymatic processes (biomineralization). In this study, the microbial mineralization in ferromanganese crusts from the Western Pacific Ocean was explored. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) analyses showed abundant micron-scale spherical aggregates of Mn-oxide filaments (20–80nm), which are closely associated with filamentous cells within the biofilm (biofilm mineralization) exist within the stromatolitic structure. The high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA and phylogenetic analysis suggests that biofilms are dominated by three Mn-oxidizing bacterial species from the families Bacillus, Arthrobacter and Pseudomonas. In addition, Mn concentration in the biofilms is approximately 108 times that of the associated seawater (2.3ppbMn). Iron (16.2wt%), Cu (0.11wt%), Co (0.719wt%) and Ni (0.459wt%) were found in the biofilms via X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (XRF) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). We suggest that biomineralization provides a new perspective for understanding Fe-Mn crustal-related mineral deposits, and the ultra-high microbial trace element enrichment ability is noteworthy. Utilization of microbial activities in accumulating precious metals from seawater may offer a viable alternative for the world’s metal production in the future.