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Bioprospecting of Extremophilic Microorganisms to Address Environmental Pollution
Published on: December 30, 2021
Novel chromium tolerant microorganisms: isolation, characterization and their biosorption capacity
Shailendra Mishra1, Mukesh Doble
1Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras, Chennai 600036, India.
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
|February 15, 2008
Summary
Researchers isolated chromium-tolerant microbes from electroplating industry waste. These potent microorganisms can remove 95% of chromium, offering a promising bioremediation solution for toxic industrial effluent.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Microbiology
- Bioremediation
- Industrial Biotechnology
Background:
- Industrial effluents, particularly from electroplating, pose significant environmental risks due to toxic chromium contamination.
- Chromium is a highly toxic heavy metal, necessitating effective removal strategies from wastewater.
- Bioremediation using microorganisms presents a sustainable and eco-friendly approach to heavy metal detoxification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate and identify chromium-tolerant microorganisms from electroplating industrial waste.
- To evaluate the biosorption efficiency and kinetics of these microbial isolates for chromium removal.
- To elucidate the functional groups involved in the chromium biosorption mechanism.
Main Methods:
- Isolation of chromium-tolerant microorganisms from solid and liquid electroplating industrial waste.
- Determination of chromium tolerance limits and optimal growth conditions.
- Biosorption experiments to quantify chromium removal efficiency and rate.
- Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to analyze functional groups involved in biosorption.
- 16S rRNA gene sequencing for phylogenetic identification of promising isolates.
Main Results:
- Nine microbial isolates capable of tolerating up to 700 mg/L chromium were successfully isolated.
- The isolates reached their stationary phase within 8-12 hours.
- These microorganisms demonstrated high biosorption efficiency, removing 95% of 200 mg/L chromium within 4-10 hours.
- FTIR analysis indicated the involvement of amino and carboxylate groups in the chromium biosorption process.
- Phylogenetic analysis identified the most active isolates as Bacillus marisflavi (98% homology) and Arthrobacter sp. (96% homology).
Conclusions:
- Microorganisms isolated from electroplating industrial waste exhibit significant tolerance and biosorption capacity for chromium.
- Bacillus marisflavi and Arthrobacter sp. are identified as effective candidates for chromium bioremediation.
- The study highlights the potential of microbial biosorption using specific functional groups for treating chromium-contaminated industrial effluents.
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