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Removal of chromium using Rhizobium leguminosarum

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Abstract

The chromium (CrIII and CrVI) removal capability of Rhizobium leguminosarum was checked by estimating the amount of chromium in the medium before and after inoculation. To determine the efficiency of R. leguminosarum in removal of chromium, the influence of physical and chemical parameters such as temperature, pH and different concentrations (0.1–1.0 mM) of trivalent (CrIII) and hexavalent (CrVI) chromium were studied. The chromium removal in aqueous solution by different size of active and inactivated biomass and immobilized cells of R. leguminosarum in a packed-bed column was also carried out. Results showed that in a medium containing up to 0.5 mM concentration of both CrIII and CrVI, R. leguminosarum showed optimal growth. The maximum chromium removal was at pH 7.0 and 35°C. Active biomass removed 84.4 ± 3.6% of CrIII and 77.3 ± 4.3% of CrVI in 24 h of incubation time. However, inactivated biomass removed maximum chromium after 36 h of incubation. Immobilized bacterial cells in a packed-bed column removed 86.4 ± 1.7% of CrIII and 83.8 ± 2.2% of CrVI in 16 and 20 h of incubation time, respectively.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to Prof. N. Anand, Director, CAS in Botany, University of Madras for the facilities. Thanks are due to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, Chennai, India for the partial financial assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fungal Biotechnology, Natural Products and Tissue Culture Laboratory, Centre for Advanced Studies in Botany, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai, 600 025, India

    N. Raaman, B. Mahendran & C. Jaganathan

  2. Department of Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada

    B. Mahendran

  3. Applied Research and Development Wing, Advanced Environmental Laboratory, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board Guindy, Chennai, 600 032, India

    S. Sukumar & V. Chandrasekaran

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  1. N. Raaman
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Correspondence to N. Raaman.

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Raaman, N., Mahendran, B., Jaganathan, C. et al. Removal of chromium using Rhizobium leguminosarum . World J Microbiol Biotechnol 28, 627–636 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-011-0856-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-011-0856-6

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