MICROBIAL REMOVAL OF CHROMIUM IN WASTEWATER

Abstract

Chromium waste discharged from industries may consist of chromium in hexavalent and trivalent forms. These industries are inks and industrial dyes manufacturing, chrome tanning, aluminium anodizing and other metal cleaning, electroplating, etc. Hexavalent form believed to be more toxic and is known to be a carcinogenic. The need for the treatment of industrial wastewater for hexavalent chromium removal prior to discharge to water ways is a big problem even today. Chromium pollution affects the human being, small animals, marine and aquatic life, waste water organisms and biological treatment plants .Numerous articles in the literature have been devoted to various aspects for hexavalent chromium toxicity and treatability .At present many methods are available for removal of chromium from waste water such as reduction and precipitation, adsorption ion exchange etc, but efficiency of these are low. Biological processes are considered to be very cost effective in comparison with physico-chemical process. It has been well established now , that many microbial species have a wealth of catabolic enzymes to degrade industrial waste. In the present work main objective is tois to conduct batch experiments on microbial degradation of chromium in waste waters. The present work was carried out by taking different concentrations of chromium with phenol as a carbon source and study biodegradation of chromium for 72 hours of period.