Biotechnology to concentrate heavy metals from polluted waters

摘要

The present work reports on the screening and assessment of some bacterial and fungal species to be used as heavy metals binders in waste-waters treatments. The laboratory experiments were performed to establish the most efficient biotechnology to concentrate the heavy metals from polluted waters by using bacterial and fungal biomass as efficient biosorbents. Among the microbial species screened for Cu (II) and Pb uptake, Bacillus subtilis exhibited the highest binding potential from bacteria, as well as Pleurotus ostreatus, from fungal species. The experiments concerning the application of biotechnology based on the metal binding potential of these microorganisms have been made by immobilization in poly-acrylamide (PAA) and collagen-poly-acrylamide (CPAA) and using a continuous flow column bioreactors. The results proved that the immobilized microorganisms can accumulate heavy metals at low concentrations ranging mainly from 0.3 to 0.9 mg/ml.