Fe EDTA Research Articles

Pathway of FeEDTA transformation and its impact on performance of NOx removal in a chemical absorption-biological reduction integrated process.

A novel chemical absorption-biological reduction (CABR) integrated process, employing ferrous ethylenediaminetetraacetate (Fe(II)EDTA) as a solvent, is deemed as a potential option for NOx removal from the flue gas. Previous work showed that the Fe(II)EDTA concentration was critical for the NOx removal in the CABR process. In this work, the pathway of FeEDTA (Fe(III)/Fe(II)-EDTA) transformation was investigated to assess its impact on the NOx removal in a biofilter. Experimental results revealed that the FeEDTA transformation involved iron precipitation and EDTA degradation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirmed the iron was precipitated in the form of Fe(OH)3. The iron mass balance analysis showed 44.2% of the added iron was precipitated. The EDTA degradation facilitated the iron precipitation. Besides chemical oxidation, EDTA biodegradation occurred in the biofilter. The addition of extra EDTA helped recover the iron from the precipitation. The transformation of FeEDTA did not retard the NO removal. In addition, EDTA rather than the iron concentration determined the NO removal efficiency.

Autotrophic denitrification by nitrate-dependent Fe(II) oxidation in a continuous up-flow biofilter.

A continuous-upflow biofilter packed with sponge iron was constructed for nitrate removal under an anaerobic atmosphere. Microbacterium sp. W5, a nitrate reducing and Fe(II) oxidizing strain, was added to the biofilter as an inoculum. The best results were achieved when NO3 (-)-N concentration was 30 mg/L and Fe(2+) was 800 mg/L. Nitrite in influent would inhibit nitrate removal and aqueous Fe(2+) resulted in encrustation. Fe(II)EDTA would prevent cells from encrustation and the maximum nitrogen removal efficiency was about 90 % with Fe(II)EDTA level of 1100 mg/L. Nitrate reduction followed first-order reaction kinetics. Characteristics of biofilms were analyzed by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy.

Evaluation of a newly isolated Klebsiella sp. DL-1 and its interaction with Klebsiella sp. FD-3 in regenerating nitrogen oxide scrubbing liquor using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid iron(II) as absorbent

A highly effective strain, referred to as DL-1 and identified as Klebsiella sp., was applied to Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction. The average reduction rate was approximately 4.29 mmolg DCW−1h−1, which was higher than those reported in the literature. The relationship between cell growth and Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction was characterized, and a model was developed based on a logistic equation. To ensure that the simultaneous reduction of Fe(II)EDTA-NO and Fe(III)EDTA was feasible in the integrated NOx removal process of chemical absorption and biological reduction, DL-1 was mixed with a Fe(III)EDTA-reducing bacterium FD-3 to regenerate the scrubbing liquor. There was carbon and nitrogen source competition between these two strains in the mixed system. DL-1 was incapable of reducing Fe(III)EDTA, but FD-3 was capable of reducing Fe(II)EDTA-NO. Therefore, DL-1 would inhibit Fe(III)EDTA reduction, and FD-3 would enhance Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction. The performance of the mixed strains was also investigated. The system could maintain stable and high reduction efficiencies, after 7h, the reduction efficiency of Fe(II)EDTA-NO and Fe(III)EDTA were 84.9% and 77.1%, respectively.

High-efficiency removal of NO x by a novel integrated chemical absorption and two-stage bioreduction process using magnetically stabilized fluidized bed reactors

To enhance the bioregeneration of Fe(II)EDTA and to avoid the inhibition of the components in nitrogen oxides (NOx) scrubbing solution, a novel integrated process of metal chelate absorption and two-stage bioreduction was developed. In this process, magnetically stabilized fluidized beds (MSFB) were used as the bioreactors, and the phase diagram for the MSFB operation was determined. Factors including inlet NO, O2 and SO2 concentrations, magnetic field intensity, gas flow rate and liquid circulation rate, were studied experimentally to investigate their effects on NO removal. In addition, a mathematical model for NO removal in this integrated system was developed. The results revealed that the integrated system could be steadily operated with a high NO removal efficiency and elimination capacity, even under the condition of high NO and O2 shock-loading. The established model showed that NO removal efficiency was related to the spray column property and the active Fe(II)EDTA concentration, while the latter depends on the bioregeneration of the disabled absorbent in the MSFB.

Re-acclimation performance and microbial characteristics of a thermophilic biofilter for NOx removal from flue gas.

Currently, a novel chemical absorption-biological reduction (CABR) integrated process, employing Fe(II)EDTA as a solvent, is being under development to reduce the cost of NOx removal from flue gas. In this work, the NO removal profile, re-acclimation performance, and microbial characteristics in a thermophilic biofilter were investigated at the conditions typical to CABR process. The biofilter comprised of four layers of packing material with a surface area of 1200 m(2) m(-3). Experimental results revealed that the biofilter could remove 95 % of the fed NO at typical flue gas conditions. As the gas residence time varied from 90 to 15 s, the NO removal efficiency decreased from 100 to 56.5 % due to the NO mass transfer limitation. The longer period of the biofilter shutdown required more time for its re-acclimation. For example, after 8-day shutdown, the biofilter was re-acclimated in 32 h. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of PCR-amplified product showed that Pseudomonas, a group of denitrifier, was dominant in the biofilter. Because the Pseudomonas was abundant at the bottom layer of packed-bed, the bottom layer contributed to 60-70 % of the total NO removal. In addition, Pseudomonas gradually faded away along the gas flow path from the bottom to the top of biofilter, resulting in a significant decrease in NO removal at the other three packed-bed layers. These observed results will provide the process engineering and scale-up data with respect to the biofilter operations to help advance the CABR process to pilot-scale testing.

Generation, utilization, and transformation of cathode electrons for bioreduction of Fe(III)EDTA in a biofilm electrode reactor related to NOx removal from flue gas.

A chemical absorption-biological reduction (CABR) integrated system, which employs iron chelate as a solvent, is under development for NOx removal from flue gas. Biofilm electrode reactor (BER) is deemed as a promising bioreactor to regenerate the iron chelate. Although it has been proved that BER can significantly enhance the bioreduction of Fe(III)EDTA, the bioelectrochemistry mechanism involved in the bioreduction of Fe(III)EDTA remains unknown. This work aims to explore this mechanism via the analysis of the generation, utilization, and transformation of cathode electrons in the BER. The results indicate that the generation of cathode electrons follows Faraday's law. The generated cathode electrons were used to produce H2 and directly reduce Fe(III)EDTA in the BER. Meanwhile, the produced H2 served as an electron donor for bioreduction of Fe(III)EDTA. The excess H2 product was transformed to simple organics, e.g., methanol by the hydrogen autotrophy of Pseudomonas under the inorganic and anaerobic conditions. Overall, this work revealed that the reduction of Fe(III)EDTA in the BER was enhanced by both direct electrochemical reduction and indirect bioreduction using H2 as an intermediate. It is also interesting that the excess H2 product was transformed to methanol for microbial metabolism and energy storage in the BER.

Physiological and Biochemical Evaluation of Fe-Efficiency in Fe-Deficient Maize Genotypes

Iron (Fe) deficiency is prevalent particularly in calcareous soils of arid and semiarid regions. The present study aimed to investigate the response of eight local maize genotypes to Fe deficiency. In addition, a Fe- efficient (WF9) and a Fe-inefficient (ys1) indicator genotypes were used in this study. All genotypes were grown in growth chamber for 21 days in two levels of Fe, sufficient [+Fe (FNS) = 20 µM Fe EDTA] and deficient [-Fe (FNS) = 2 µM Fe EDTA] Fe supply. Shoots dry weight, Fe concentration and uptake in shoots, active iron concentration, peroxidase activity and cholorophyll content were determined and their validities as screening parameters were discussed. Generally, genotype (WF9) as the Fe efficient indicator and genotype (34) were the less affected by Fe-deficiency. Genotype (ys1) as the Fe inefficient indicator and genotype (62) were highly affected when grown in the nutrient solution with the deficient Fe supply. The present study emphasize that shoot dry weight, Fe uptake, active Fe content, chlorophyll content and peroxidase activity could be used for evaluating the present maize genotypes for Fe efficiency.

Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction by a newly isolated thermophilic Anoxybacillus sp. HA from a rotating drum biofilter for NOx removal

The reduction of Fe(II)EDTA-NO is one of the core processes in BioDeNOx, an integrated physicochemical and biological technique for NOx removal from industrial flue gases. A newly isolated thermophilic Anoxybacillus sp. HA, identified by 16S rRNA sequence analysis, could simultaneously reduce Fe(II)EDTA-NO and Fe(III)EDTA. A maximum NO removal efficiency of 98.7% was achieved when 3mM Fe(II)EDTA-NO was used in the nutrient solution at 55°C. Results of this study strongly indicated that the biological oxidation of Fe(II)EDTA played an important role in the formation of Fe(III)EDTA in the anaerobic system. Fe(II)EDTA-NO was more competitive than Fe(III)EDTA as an electron acceptor, and the presence of Fe(III)EDTA slightly affected the reduction rate of Fe(II)EDTA-NO. At 55°C, the maximum microbial specific growth rate μmax reached the peak value of 0.022h−1. The maximum NO removal efficiency was also measured (95.4%) under this temperature. Anoxybacillus sp. HA, which grew well at 50°C–60°C, is a potential microbial resource for Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction at thermophilic temperatures.

Reduction of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid iron(III) by Klebsiella sp. FD-3 immobilized on iron(II, III) oxide poly (styrene-glycidyl methacrylate) magnetic porous microspheres: Effects of inorganic compounds and kinetic study of effective diffusion in porous media

Fe3O4 poly (styrene-glycidyl methacrylate) magnetic porous microspheres (MPPMs) were introduced to immobilize Klebsiella sp. FD-3, an iron-reducing bacterium applied to reduce Fe(III)EDTA. The effects of potential inhibitors (S2−, SO32−, NO3−, NO2− and Fe(II)EDTA-NO) on Fe(III)EDTA reduction were investigated. S2− reacted with Fe(III)EDTA as an electron-shuttling compound and enhanced the reduction. But Fe(III)EDTA reduction was inhibited by SO32− and Fe(II)EDTA-NO due to their toxic to microorganisms. Low concentrations of NO3− and NO2− accelerated Fe(III)EDTA reduction, but high concentrations inhibited the reduction, whether by free or immobilized FD-3. The immobilized FD-3 performed better than freely-suspended style. The substrate mass transfer and diffusion kinetics in the porous microspheres were calculated. The value of Thiele modulus and effectiveness factors showed that the intraparticle diffusion was fairly small and neglected in this carrier. Fe(III)EDTA reduction fitted first-order model at low Fe(III)EDTA concentration, and changed to zero-order model at high concentrations.

Current advances of integrated processes combining chemical absorption and biological reduction for NO x removal from flue gas.

Anthropogenic nitrogen oxides (NO x ) emitted from the fossil-fuel-fired power plants cause adverse environmental issues such as acid rain, urban ozone smoke, and photochemical smog. A novel chemical absorption-biological reduction (CABR) integrated process under development is regarded as a promising alternative to the conventional selective catalytic reduction processes for NO x removal from the flue gas because it is economic and environmentally friendly. CABR process employs ferrous ethylenediaminetetraacetate [Fe(II)EDTA] as a solvent to absorb the NO x following microbial denitrification of NO x to harmless nitrogen gas. Meanwhile, the absorbent Fe(II)EDTA is biologically regenerated to sustain the adequate NO x removal. Compared with conventional denitrification process, CABR not only enhances the mass transfer of NO from gas to liquid phase but also minimize the impact of oxygen on the microorganisms. This review provides the current advances of the development of the CABR process for NO x removal from the flue gas.

Iron in complex with the alleged phytosiderophore 8-hydroxyquinoline induces functional iron deficiency and non-autolytic programmed cell death in rapeseed plants

The alkaloid 8-hydroxyquinoline (HQ) was pointed out as potential phytosiderophore that is taken up unspecifically by iron acquisition strategy I and II plants. HQ in root exudate of the knapweed Centaurea diffusa even was considered as a factor contributing to the invasive success of this species. This study compares the iron supply efficiencies of the Fe–HQ complex and Fe–EDTA in hydroponic cultures of rapeseed (Brassica napus) as a plant model system to explore the proposed function. Iron (FeCl3) was supplied in 2 and 10μM concentrations in a 1:1 ratio with the ligand (HQ). After 20 days, Fe content, lipid peroxidation, superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, and ascorbic acid concentrations, various enzyme activities associated with antioxidant defences and programmed cell death (PCD), and nuclear condensation were determined. Iron supply in the form of a Fe–HQ complex clearly was less efficient. These plants developed chlorosis and showed symptoms of non-autolytic PCD similar to those that had been subjected to Fe deprivation. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentration levels and enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, catalase, alkaline protease, caspase-3-like and deoxyribonuclease) resembled more those observed in plants which suffered from Fe deprivation, than those of Fe-sufficient Fe–EDTA supplied plants. The results do not support the putative phytosiderophore function alleged to HQ in the studied concentration range (2–10μM) but instead corroborate the one hypothesis explaining HQ toxicity: Fe in complex with HQ is not released efficiently enough from the complex to be available for metalloenzymes that require it as a co-factor.

Regeneration of spent NOx scrubber liquor using a dual-chamber microbial fuel cell

BACKGROUND Wet absorption via addition of Fe(II)EDTA combined with biological reduction for nitric oxide removal is a promising approach. Based on existing issues and related studies of NOx scrubber solution, a dual-chamber MFC system with a biocathode was utilized to perform simultaneous and continuous reduction of Fe(III)EDTA and Fe(II)EDTA-NO with energy recovery. RESULTS The experimental results showed that in this system almost all of the Fe(II)EDTA-NO was removed and the spent NOx scrubber liquor (consisting of Fe(II)EDTA-NO and Fe(III)EDTA) was regenerated 50%, combined with electricity generation of 15.3 Am-3 NCC at the same time. Microorganisms utilized Fe(II)EDTA and cathodic electrodes as electron donor for Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction and, different from the complicated Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction process, the electrode was the sole electron donor for Fe(III)EDTA reduction. Additionally, Fe(II)EDTA-NO and Fe(III)EDTA mutually inhibits each other, mostly due to the competition for electrons. The microbial community of the biocathode was dominated by members of the Betaproteobacteria class. CONCLUSION This study first proposed and confirmed that microbial fuel cells could be utilized for the regeneration of NOx removal liquor which provided a novel pathway for NO removal combined with energy recovery. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry

Evaluation of NO Removal from Flue Gas by a Chemical Absorption–Biological Reduction Integrated System: Complexed NO Conversion Pathways and Nitrogen Equilibrium Analysis

The conversion of complexed nitrogen oxide [Fe(II)EDTA–NO] is the core process in the chemical absorption–biological reduction (CABR) integrated system. Additionally, flue gas of power plants in China contains 3–8% oxygen (O2), which plays a dominant role in the system. However, previous studies on the reduction of complexed NO were conducted in strictly anaerobic vials. Nitrogen utilization for microorganism growth was not taken into consideration. In this study, the mechanism and conversion pathways of complexed NO were investigated with 0–10% O2. Results demonstrated that, with O2, except for being complexed as Fe(II)EDTA–NO, a part of NO was oxidized to NO2. Then, Fe(II)EDTA–NO and NO2 were oxidized to NO2–/NO3– via nitrosification/nitrification or direct chemical reaction, and NO2–/NO3– were reduced to N2 by complexed NO-reducing bacteria. Besides, 75% of nitrogen was discharged by gas, mainly as N2. There was 18 and 3% of nitrogen accumulated in biological and liquid phases, respectively.

Study on Metal Chelation Adsorption of NO Using Fe(II)EDTA Solution in Power Plant

The influences of concentration of metal chelation solution, pH values, the concentration of O2 supplied by some thermal power plants in Wuxi, and the concentration of SO32- on the adsorption performance were studied. The results indicated that the removal ratio improved with the increase of bulk concentration. However, when the concentration exceeded 15mmol/L, the increase rate reduced. It was found that the chelation ability enhanced with the increase of pH values as well as the decrease of oxygen concentration in the flue gas. The SO32- in the solution was beneficial to improve and extend the adsorption capacity of Fe (II) EDTA. According to the FI-IR, the carboxyl in Na2EDTA coordinated with Fe(II). XPS showed that Fe2+ was the main valence of Fe in Fe(II)EDTA. Through the calculation of fold peak area, the content of Fe2+ was 72.17%. And the existence of Fe2+ in the Fe(II)EDTA was pivotal for the complexation.

A New Approach for NOx Removal from Flue Gas Using a Biofilm Electrode Reactor Coupled with Chemical Absorption

A chemical absorption–biofilm electrode reactor (CABER) integrated system was used for removal of nitrogen monoxide (NO) from flue gas. Effects of the electric current on NO removal efficiency, concentration of Fe(II)EDTA, and consumption rate of glucose in the stabilization phase were investigated. Results indicate that the optimum impressed current was 0.04 A [i.e., 66.7 A m–3 net cathodic compartment (NCC) of the current density]. Under this condition, the consumption rate of glucose was 0.462 g h–1. Performance evaluation of this new approach was investigated under optimum conditions as well. It is noted that minimum residence time was only 20 s, maximum oxygen tolerability was 10%, and maximum elimination capacity of NO was 104.2 g of NO m–3 h–1. The contribution of H2 and glucose in reduction of Fe(III)EDTA was also studied. The results indicated that increasing the H2 supply appropriately could reduce the consumption of glucose. This new approach showed a better performance on NO removal and a larger processing load than those of the chemical absorption–biological reduction (CABR) integrated system.

Effects of Ni, Fe chemicals and hydrogen on deposits formed on Zirlo fuel cladding material in nuclear primary water chemistry conditions at 325 °C

The morphology and amount of deposits formed on the surface of a Zirlo fuel cladding material were investigated in terms of the concentration of Ni, Fe chemicals and hydrogen after testing using a test loop simulating an AOA, since these deposits can have an influence on an AOA. Porous deposits with some needle-like whiskers were observed after testing in a solution containing 3.5ppm Li as LiOH and 1500ppm B as H3BO3. Ni and Fe acetates were added for this test intermittently to increase the deposits formed on the surface of the fuel cladding material. The pore sizes are from 0.1 to 0.3μm. To minimize the pH change during the tests, Ni EDTA and Fe EDTA were used in the same solution instead of Ni and Fe acetates. Polyhedral structures were found, when both of Ni EDTA and Fe EDTA coexist significantly. These polyhedral structures are nickel ferrites analyzed by SEM–EDS. A number of whiskers with about a 0.05μm diameter were detected, when the ratio of Ni/Fe increased due to decrease of Fe concentration during the test, even though the initial Fe concentration was high. However, some short whiskers are formed, when initial Ni concentration was high. These whiskers seem to be NiO by SEM–EDS. It was reported that the formation of fine whiskers might be one of the major causes for an AOA in connection with SNB. These whiskers were observed, when the hydrogen concentrations were 5 and 25cc/kg H2O in the test conditions at 325°C. No whiskers were found in the conditions at above 25cc H2/kg H2O. In addition, it was found that the concentration of hydrogen does not greatly affect the amount of deposit formed on the surface during testing.

Binding studies of a large antiviral polyamide to a natural HPV sequence

PA1 is a large hairpin polyamide (dImPyPy-β-PyPyPy-γ-PyPy-β-PyPyPyPy-β-Ta; Py = pyrrole, Im = imidazole, β = beta alanine) that targets the sequence 5'-WWGWWWWWWW-3' (W = A or T) and is effective in eliminating HPV16 in cell culture (Edwards, T. G., Koeller, K. J., Slomczynska, U., Fok, K., Helmus, M., Bashkin, J. K., Fisher, C., Antiviral Res. 91 (2011) 177-186). Described here are its DNA binding properties toward a natural DNA, a 523 bp portion of HPV16 (2150-2672) containing three predicted perfect match sites. Strategies for obtaining binding data on large fragments using capillary electrophoresis are also described. Using an Fe EDTA conjugate of PA1, 19 affinity cleavage (AC) patterns were detected for this fragment. In many cases, there are multiple possible binding sequences (perfect, single and double mismatch sites) consistent with the AC data. Quantitative DNase I footprinting analysis indicates that perfect and most single mismatch sites bind PA1 with Kds between 0.7 and 4 nM, indicating excellent tolerance for the latter. Double mismatch sites exhibit Kds between 12 and 62 nM. A large fraction of the accessible sequence is susceptible to PA1 binding, much larger than predicted based on the literature of polyamide-DNA recognition rules.

Electrochromatographic separations of multi-component metal complexes on a microfluidic paper-based device with a simplified photolithography

Electrochromatographic separations of three metal complexes were achieved through observing the visualization evolution process of moving chelation boundaries (MCBs) on microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs). A simplified photolithography was developed to pattern the μPADs within 5–10 min with three steps only, manually gelatinize, expose and develop, through thinning SU-8 2150 with trichloromethane. With a cutting method, many bubbles were clearly observed in the single-component MCB system on the μPADs, but were not found with this photolithography method under the same voltages. It was demonstrated that this photolithography for patterning narrow paper channels rejected Joule heating more effectively than the cutting paper method did. It was observed simultaneously that the apparent distances of electrophoretic and electroosmotic migrations of the blue [Cu-EDTA]2− chelation boundary increased with increasing electrical field strength and width of the paper channels, respectively. The higher the Cu2+ concentrations were, the slower the electrophoretic migrations of the blue boundary were, and the faster the electroosmotic migrations of the blue boundary were on the μPADs with this photolithography. The separations and concentrations of the coloured zones, pink [Co–EDTA]2−, blue [Cu–EDTA]2− and yellow [Fe–EDTA]2−, were clearly observed in the applied electric fields on the μPADs. The studies benefit extending the application of μPADs as low-cost, disposable analysis tools and deepen understanding of the comprehensive mechanisms concerning MCBs, partition adsorption and electroosmotic flow on μPADs.

Fe(II)EDTA–NO Reduction by Sulfide in the Anaerobic Aqueous Phase: Stoichiometry and Kinetics

In the BioDeNOx process for the nitrogen oxides (NOx) removal, sulfide is supposed to exist in the bioreactor mainly because of the bioreduction of sulfite and sulfate. Thus, the potential roles of sulfide should be taken into account in the BioDeNOx process. The objective of this work was to investigate abiotic Fe(II)EDTA–NO reduction by sulfide with respect to stoichiometry and kinetics. Batch experiments showed that elemental sulfur and ammonium were the two major products. However, the molar ratio of reduced Fe(II)EDTA–NO to the oxidized sulfide was 1:3.4–1:3.6, a bit higher than the expected value, suggesting the formation of the polysulfide based on the comprehensive analysis. Results also showed that Fe(II)EDTA–NO reduction by sulfide was a first-order reaction with respect to Fe(II)EDTA–NO. The reduction rates of Fe(II)EDTA–NO by sulfide went up along with the decrease of the pH values and rise of the reaction temperature. Besides, the energy of activation (Ea) and the entropy of activation (ΔS⧧) were 31.125 kJ mol–1 and −67.6144 J K–1 mol–1, respectively. Apart from the investigation into the abiotic role of sulfide on the BioDeNOx process, this paper also provided a hint on an integrated chemical and biological process for simultaneous desulfurization and denitrification.

Oxidative DNA Damage and Mammary Cell Proliferation by Alcohol-Derived Salsolinol

Drinking alcohol is a risk factor for breast cancer. Salsolinol (SAL) is endogenously formed by a condensation reaction of dopamine with acetaldehyde, a major ethanol metabolite, and SAL is detected in blood and urine after alcohol intake. We investigated the possibility that SAL can participate in tumor initiation and promotion by causing DNA damage and cell proliferation, leading to alcohol-associated mammary carcinogenesis. SAL caused oxidative DNA damage including 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG), in the presence of transition metal ions, such as Cu(II) and Fe(III)EDTA. Inhibitory effects of scavengers on SAL-induced DNA damage and the electron spin resonance study indicated the involvement of H₂O₂, which is generated via the SAL radical. Experiments on scavengers and site specificity of DNA damage suggested ·OH generation via a Fenton reaction and copper-peroxide complexes in the presence of Fe(III)EDTA and Cu(II), respectively. SAL significantly increased 8-oxodG formation in normal mammary epithelial MCF-10A cells. In addition, SAL induced cell proliferation in estrogen receptor (ER)-negative MCF-10A cells, and the proliferation was inhibited by an antioxidant N-acetylcysteine and an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor AG1478, suggesting that reactive oxygen species may participate in the proliferation of MCF-10A cells via EGFR activation. Furthermore, SAL induced proliferation in estrogen-sensitive breast cancer MCF-7 cells, and a surface plasmon resonance sensor revealed that SAL significantly increased the binding activity of ERα to the estrogen response element but not ERβ. In conclusion, SAL-induced DNA damage and cell proliferation may play a role in tumor initiation and promotion of multistage mammary carcinogenesis in relation to drinking alcohol.