Investigation of microbial community structure and functional genes in heavy metal reactors

Heavy metals pose a serious threat to the ecological environment and human health. Solid organic carbon materials act as electron donors, release organic carbon, support microbial activity, and maintain bioredox processes for longer periods. At the same time, Fe(II) ions rich in nature can be additional electron donors reduced by microorganisms. Therefore, both can effectively improve the removal of heavy metals. This study mainly explored the impact of microbial community structure and functional genes during heavy metal removal.