Removal of hexavalent chromium in tannery wastewater by Bacillus cereus

Bacillus cereus was used to remove chromium (Cr(VI)) from medium containing tannery wastewater under different conditions. The maximum rate of Cr(VI) removal was attained at a temperature of 37 °C, pH of 7.0-9.0, and biomass of 20 g/L when the initial Cr(VI) concentration was less than 50 mg/L. Under the optimum conditions, the Cr(VI) in tannery wastewater was treated with each cellular component of B. cereus to detect its ability to reduce Cr(VI). The results showed that the removal rate of Cr(VI) for the cell-free extracts could reach 92.70%, which was close to that of the whole cells (96.85%), indicating that the Cr(VI) reductase generated by B. cereus is primarily intracellular. Additionally, during continuous culture of the B. cereus, the strain showed good consecutive growth and removal ability. After treatment of 20 mg/L Cr(VI) for 48 h, the B. cereus was observed by SEM and TEM-EDX. SEM images showed that the B. cereus used to treat Cr(VI) grew well and had a uniform cellular size. TEM-EDX analysis revealed large quantities of chromium in the B. cereus cells used to treat Cr(VI). Overall, the results presented herein demonstrate that B. cereus can be used as a new biomaterial to remove Cr(VI) from tannery wastewater.