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Screening metal-dye-tolerant photoautotrophic microbes from textile wastewaters for biohydrogen production

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Abstract

In the present study, tolerance of ten microalgal strains isolated from wastewaters of different textile mills in relation to two metals and dyes was studied based on cell growth estimated spectrophotometrically. Three cyanobacterial strains that were found to tolerate both Cr(VI) and Co(II) along with the dyes reactive red 198 (RR 198) and crystal violet (CV) were investigated further for the concentration of various photosynthetic pigments and exopolymer production in the presence of the dyes and metals. All three tolerant species—Nostoc linckia HA-46, Myxosarcina spectabilis HP-43 and Gloeocapsa calcarea HP-45—showed a significantly higher concentration (P < 0.05) of various pigments when the medium was spiked with metals or dyes. Production of extracellular proteins and particularly extracellular polysaccharides by the tolerant strains increased significantly (P < 0.05) in the presence of metals. The effect of dyes was, however, not always statistically significant (P > 0.05). Production of hydrogen by these photoautotrophic microbes was moderate (19–28 nmol h−1 mg−1 dry wt). The best performing strain, N. linckia, when examined further for its hydrogen production potential in the presence of the two dyes and metals, showed significantly higher rates of hydrogen production in the presence of Cr, Co and RR 198. Its hydrogenase activity also followed the same trend. Immobilization of the microbe into alginate beads almost doubled the hydrogen production by the organism in the control as well as in the presence of suitable concentrations of the two metals (10 mg L−1) and dyes (50 mg L−1).

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Acknowledgements

The research was funded by a grant from University Grants Commission (UGC-SAP-DRS-II), New Delhi, and the authors also acknowledge the financial assistance from Ms. Mona Sharma by CSIR, New Delhi, in the form of Senior Research Fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Amity Institute of Environmental Toxicology, Safety and Management, Amity University, Noida, UP, 201313, India

    Sharma Mona

  2. University School of Environment Management, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Sector 16-C, Dwarka, New Delhi, 110078, India

    Anubha Kaushik

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  1. Sharma Mona
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Correspondence to Anubha Kaushik.

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Mona, S., Kaushik, A. Screening metal-dye-tolerant photoautotrophic microbes from textile wastewaters for biohydrogen production. J Appl Phycol 27, 1185–1194 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-014-0396-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-014-0396-1

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