Biogenic sulfides for sequestration of Cr (VI), COD and sulfate from synthetic wastewater

Abstract

The aim of this work is to explore the possibility of using mixed culture of mesophilic sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) for retrieval of toxic and carcinogenic Cr (VI) from synthetic solution. In order to treat Cr (VI) containing wastewater effectively, SRB culture was adapted to 50 mg/L Cr (VI) and maintained through repeated sub-culturing to enhance the growth and activity of SRB. Batch biosorption experiments were carried out in glass serum vials by cultured SRB, accomplishing the removal of 82.1% Cr (VI), 76.9% sulfate, 85.7% COD under the following optimized conditions: pH 7, hydraulic retention time (HRT) 7 days, temperature 37 °C and initial Cr (VI) concentration of 50 mg/L. Further sorption experiments were conducted on synthetic wastewater under optimal operational conditions and resulted in 89.2% Cr (VI), 81.9% COD and 95.3% sulfate reduction from simulated wastewater. The results of this work contributed to a better understanding of metal uptake by biogenic sulfides and would be beneficial in the development of potential biosorbents that possess high capacities for Cr (VI) uptake from aqueous environments.