Effects of nickel, chromium and initial feed concentration on the batch growth of a microbial consortium developed from sewage

Abstract

Effects of nickel, chromium and substrate concentration on the microbial growth of acclimatized and unacclimatized microbes of sewage origin were studied in batch cultures at a constant temperature of 25 °C, at pH 7.0. A synthetic medium supplemented with Ni(II) (5 and 10 mgl^‐1) or Cr(VI) (1 and 50 mgl^‐1) or with their combinations and at various feed concentrations (650, 975, 1300 mgl^‐1) was employed to investigate the effects on the specific growth rate (μm) of the microbial culture. The experimental results were statistically analysed by using multiple regression techniques.