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ABSTRACT
Hexavalent chromium-tolerant (1500 mg/L) bacterium MW1 was isolated from harbour water of Paradip Port and evaluated for Cr(VI) reduction potential. The isolate was identified as Exiguobacterium indicum by biochemical and 16S rRNA gene sequence methods. Salt tolerance of the bacterium was evaluated in a wide range of NaCl concentrations (0.5–13%, w/v). The Cr(VI) reduction of the strain was evaluated and optimised with varied Cr(VI) concentrations (100–1000 mg/L), pH (5.0–9.0), temperature (30–40°C) and shaking velocity (100–150 rpm) in two different minimal media (M9 and Acetate). Under optimised conditions, after 192 h of incubation nearly 92%, 50% and 46% reduction in the M9 minimal medium and 91%, 47% and 40% reduction in the acetate minimal medium were observed for 100, 500 and 1000 mg/L of Cr(VI), respectively. The exponential rate equation for Cr(VI) reduction yielded higher rate constant value, that is, 1.27 × 10−2 h−1 (M9) and 1.17 × 10−2 h−1 (Acetate) in case of 100 mg/L and became lower for 500 and 1000 mg/L Cr(VI) concentrations. Further, the association of bacterial cells with reduced product was ascertained by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, UV–Vis–DRS and field-emission scanning electron microscope–energy-dispersive X-ray analyses. The above study suggests that the higher reducing ability of the marine bacterium E. indicum MW1 will be suitable for Cr(VI) reduction from saline effluents.
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the facilities and the support provided by Prof. B. K. Mishra, Director, CSIR-Institute of Mineral and Material Technology, Bhubaneswar, to carry out the work and publish the research findings. Support from MOES, Govt. of India is gratefully acknowledged.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.