Removal of Heavy Metal from Industrial Waste water using Biofilm Producing Bacteria

Heavy metals are a diverse group of compounds with varied characteristics. These metals are poisonous to plants, animals and humans, so they regarded a category of environmental pollutants. Hеxavalent Chromium is one of the elements which is toxic and carcinogenic. Electroplating industry is one of the sources which produce wastе water containing elevated concentration of heavy metals. Therefore, before discharging into the water body, wastewater should be treated. In this study, the bisorption technique is used for the removal of hexavalent chromium from electroplating industrial wastewater, Belgaum. Two isolates Bacillus species (TF1) and Staphylococcus aureus (G5) are used as biosorbents. The design of experiments, i.e. Rеsponse surface Methodology (RSM) is carried out to optimize rеduction process. For the reduction of Cr (VI) with concentration of 500mg/L, pH 6, glucose 0.6mg/l and bіomass concentration of 6% was found to be the most ideal factors for both the isolates. Even enzymatic study is carried out to check the type of mechanism involved in the reduction and it was found that biosorption process involved here is an intracellular process. Both isolates in the industrial wastewater shows 100% reduction of Hexavalent Chromium in a period of 4 days and SEM analysis of Bacillus species was carried out.