Bioremediation Perspective of Bacillus Megaterium Towards Heavy Metals in Environments Enriched with Phosphogypsum

摘要

The mobilisation and uptake potential of Bacillus megaterium (BM), a strain isolated from soil polluted with phosphogypsum (PG), towards selected heavy metals as Cu, In and Fe has been evaluated. The investigation was conducted during a microorganism life cycle of 42 h in a growing environment altered with different concentrations of PG (2, 6 and 10 g L~(-1)). The growing rate of Bacillus megaterium was determined as a response index of the metal types and bioaccumulation capacity. For comparison purposes, Bacillus megaterium isolated from unpolluted forest soil was used as a reference. The obtained results revealed that under different PG concentrations Bacillus megaterium possesses high potential to mobilise and accumulate heavy metals incorporated in the PG chemical composition (Fe, In, Cu). The obtained results suggest that Bacillus megaterium can be used in the detoxification process of heavy metals from soils polluted with PG, with a significant environmental impact.