Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42671663›Full record

SynthesisBiodegradation2026

Low-pH sulfate reduction in acid mine drainage treatment systems: implications for acidophilic and acid-tolerant sulfate-reducing bacteria - a systematic review.

Aimae Jean B Lunsayan, Carlito Baltazar Tabelin, Ana Laura Santos, Theerayut Phengsaart, Takahiko Arima, Tetsuo Yasutaka, Hiroshi Habe, Iván Ňancucheo, Carmen Falagán, Mark Anthony I Jose and 1 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Biodegradation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Aimae Jean B LunsayanDepartment of Biological Sciences, College of Science and Mathematics, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, 9200, Iligan City, Philippines. aimaejean.lunsayan@g.msuiit.edu.ph.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-3496-1630
Carlito Baltazar TabelinResource Processing and Technology Center, RIEIT, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, Iligan City, Philippines.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8314-6344
Ana Laura SantosNatural History Museum, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8727-7795
Theerayut PhengsaartDepartment of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0154-3432
Takahiko ArimaDivision of Sustainable Resources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-8628, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8814-7522
Tetsuo YasutakaAdvanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0046, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6000-663X
Hiroshi HabeAdvanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0046, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8721-2206
Iván ŇancucheoFacultad de Ingeniería, Universidad San Sebastián, Lientur 1457, 4080871, Concepción, Chile.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9289-9399
Carmen FalagánSchool of the Environment and Life Sciences, University of Portsmouth, King Henry Building, Portsmouth, PO1 2DY, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7593-472X
Mark Anthony I JoseDepartment of Biological Sciences, College of Science and Mathematics, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, 9200, Iligan City, Philippines.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2987-994X
Mylah Villacorte-TabelinDepartment of Biological Sciences, College of Science and Mathematics, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, 9200, Iligan City, Philippines. mylah.tabelin@g.msuiit.edu.ph.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6383-7049

Funding

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension, Iligan Institute of Technology, Mindanao State University 00228-IITPhilippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development 1212387
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is characterized by persistent acidity, high sulfate and dissolved metal concentrations. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are attractive candidates for AMD remediation because dissimilatory sulfate reduction generates alkalinity while producing sulfide that can facilitate metal removal through precipitation. Extending these processes to acidic conditions has increased interest in acidophilic and acid-tolerant SRB (aSRB and atSRB), yet evidence from cultivation, molecular surveys and treatment systems has often been interpreted separately. This systematic review synthesized 53 culture-dependent, culture-independent, and treatment system studies from 2014 to 2024 to examine relationships among taxonomic occurrence, physiological capability, demonstrated low-pH sulfate reduction and treatment performance. Phylogenetic analysis showed that low-pH sulfate-reducing phenotypes were distributed across multiple lineages and 16S rRNA relatedness alone did not predict acid tolerance. Desulfosporosinus was the most consistently represented genus across studies, although its recurrence was influenced by cultivation strategies. Sulfate reduction was demonstrated below pH 3, with sustained low-pH activity most strongly supported by controlled reactor studies; approximately pH 4.0-5.5 emerged as a comparatively well-supported range, while activity at lower pH was more dependent on microbial physiology and experimental conditions. Low-pH sulfate reduction also emerged as a community-level process shaped by electron-donor use, metabolite turnover and complementary microbial functions, while treatment performance additionally depended on biomass retention, hydraulic conditions and sulfide management. The reviewed studies support a distinction between taxonomic presence, demonstrated activity and treatment contribution. Future work should prioritize standardized reporting of active sulfate-reduction conditions, stronger taxon-function validation and long-term field testing of low-pH sulfidogenic systems.

Indexed as

BacteriaMiningSulfatesSulfur-Reducing BacteriaAcidsBiodegradation, EnvironmentalHydrogen-Ion ConcentrationOxidation-ReductionPhylogenyRNA, Ribosomal, 16SAcidsRNA, Ribosomal, 16SSulfatesAcid mine drainageAcidophilic sulfate-reducing bacteriaBioremediationMicrobial communitiesSulfate reductionSulfidogenesis

Identifiers

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.