Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Development of Sulfidogenic Sludge from Marine Sediments and Trichloroethylene Reduction in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor
Published on: October 15, 2015
Bioleaching of chromium from tannery sludge by indigenous Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans
Yuan-Shan Wang1, Zhi-Yan Pan, Jian-Min Lang
1College of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, PR China.
Abstract:
Chromium in tannery sludge will cause serious environmental problems and is toxic to organisms. The acidophilic sulfur-oxidizing Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans can leach heavy metals form urban and industrial wastes. This study examined the ability of an indigenous sulfur-oxidizing A. thiooxidans to leach chromium from tannery sludge. The results showed that the pH of sludge mixture inoculated with the indigenous A. thiooxidans decreased to around 2.0 after 4 days. After 6 days incubation in shaking flasks at 30 degrees C and 160 rpm, up to 99% of chromium was solubilized from tannery sludge. When treated in a 2-l bubble column bioreactor for 5 days at 30 degrees C and aeration of 0.5 vvm, 99.7% of chromium was leached from tannery sludge. The results demonstrated that chromium in tannery sludge can be efficiently leached by the indigenous A. thiooxidans.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Microbial Leaching
Acid Mine Drainage
Bioremediation
Microbial Bioremediation of Uranium
Microbes and Other Elemental Cycles
Microbial Corrosion

