Abstract

Anthropogenic activity is the main factor contributing to soil pollution with various toxic metals, including Cr(VI), which dictates the need for decontamination. Often, the traditionally used remediation methods (soil removal, stabilization/solidification, physicochemical extraction, and soil washing) are not sufficiently efficient. Among gentle soil remediation, options can be considered. The aim of this study is to assess the ability of Nostoc linckia to remediate soils contaminated with Cr(VI) in association with other metals. Metal uptake by biomass was assessed using neutron activation analysis, while the components of Nostoc biomass were determined using specific methods. The capacity to accumulate chromium from the contaminated environment (Cr in association with Fe, Ni, Cu, and Zn) by the Nostoc linckia is kept at a high level for three generations of cyanobacterium, and the capacity to accumulate Fe, Ni, Cu, and Zn is growing over the cultivation cycles. The process of accumulation of heavy metals is associated with significant changes in the biochemical composition of Nostoc biomass. Due to the high bioaccumulation capacity and the specific growth mode with the formation of crusts on the soil surface, the edaphic cyanobacteria Nostoc linckia is an important candidate for the bioremediation of soil contaminated with chromium in association with other metals.

Highlights

  • The high demand for metals in the fast-growing industrial sector around the world has led to their extensive extraction and production in huge quantities

  • In the Cr/Fe/Ni/Zn/Cu system, the amount of Nostoc biomass accumulated at the end of the first cycle was 16.5% lower compared with the control sample (p = 0.00138)

  • It is known that bacteria, Bacillus pumilus, Bacillus circulans, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus sphaericus, Exiguobacterium aurantiacum, Pseudomonas synxantha, and Pseudomonas brenneri, depending on the experimental conditions, accumulate from 23% to

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Summary

Introduction

The high demand for metals in the fast-growing industrial sector around the world has led to their extensive extraction and production in huge quantities. This phenomenon in turn has exacerbated the problem of severe soil pollution with heavy metals in recent decades. Chromium is present in water, soil, and air in several oxidation states, but the most stable and common forms are Cr(III) and Cr(VI). In water, this element occurs naturally as a result of microorganisms’ interactions with mafic and ultramafic igneous rocks together with geogenic processes [1]. Continental dust flux and volcanic ash are natural sources of chromium in the atmosphere

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