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Acute toxicity of Hg, Cd, and Pb towards dominant bacterial strains of sequencing batch reactor (SBR)

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Abstract

One of the most important factors that affect the operation efficiency of sequencing batch reactor (SBR) technology is bacterial viability and biomass activity. The acute toxicity of three heavy metals to four dominant strains of sequencing batch reactor (Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, Enterobacter, and Bacillus) was investigated using a resazurin bioassay. After exposing the bacterial strains to soluble compound of Hg, Cd, and Pb, at more than five selected concentrations, the median effective concentration (EC50) and the mortality rate values were calculated. Large differences were observed in sensitivities of the four bacterial strains to the metals. Pseudomonas showed the highest sensitivity for Cd (EC50 = 0.06 μmol/L) and Hg (EC50 = 11.75 μmol/L), while Aeromonas showed the highest sensitivity for Pb (EC50 = 48.27 μmol/L). Considering the EC50 test results, it was concluded that Pseudomonas and Aeromonas are excellent and reliable bioindicators for assessing the toxicity of water and wastewaters polluted by Cd, Hg, and Pb. The rapidity (30 min) and simplicity of the resazurin bioassay procedure enable this enzymatic test to be used in toxicity assessment of small and decentralized wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).

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Acknowledgments

This study has been performed with financial support from the Environment Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran, Project No. 2282, and the Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. This study was conducted by the first author as part of the requirement to attain a Ph.D. degree, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran

    Mohammad-Reza Zare

  2. Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Mohammad-Reza Zare, Mohammad-Mehdi Amin, Mahnaz Nikaeen & Bijan Bina

  3. Student Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Mohammad-Reza Zare, Mohammad-Mehdi Amin, Mahnaz Nikaeen & Bijan Bina

  4. Environment Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

    Mohammad-Reza Zare, Mohammad-Mehdi Amin, Mahnaz Nikaeen & Bijan Bina

  5. Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Ayat Rahmani

  6. Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Center for Water Quality Research (CWQR), Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Saeedeh Hemmati-Borji

  7. Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

    Hasan Rahmani

Authors
  1. Mohammad-Reza Zare
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  2. Mohammad-Mehdi Amin
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  3. Mahnaz Nikaeen
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  4. Bijan Bina
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  7. Hasan Rahmani
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Correspondence to Bijan Bina.

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Zare, MR., Amin, MM., Nikaeen, M. et al. Acute toxicity of Hg, Cd, and Pb towards dominant bacterial strains of sequencing batch reactor (SBR). Environ Monit Assess 187, 263 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4457-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4457-y

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