The Presence of toxic heavy metal contaminants in aqueous streams ,arising from the discharge of untreated metal containing effluents into water bodies, is one of the mot important environmental issues. Conventional metal removal procedures such as reverse osmosis, solvent extraction, lime coagulation, ion exchange, and chemical precipitation are encountered with certain major disadvantages such as high energy requirements, incomplete metal removal, and generation of a large quantity of toxic waste sludge, which necessitates careful disposal in further steps.
The use of microbial bio-sorbents for removal of toxic heavy metals from waste steams has emerged as an alternative to the existing methods as a result of the search for law cost, innovative methods. The metal sequestering ability of microorganisms such as yeast, bacteria, and fungi were investigated and reported. Microbes immobilized in sodium alginate sol-gel beads were proved to have more safer but effective in removal of metal pollutants.
Pseudomonas fluorescens in an opportunistic pathogen and it has a proven ability to remove metals from waste. In general, Pseudomonas occurs in nature, in free motile suspension forms and utility of these naked forms pose difficulties while utilized in waste treatment. Under these circumstances, Immobilized Pseudomonas fluorescens is studied in the current work. Involved mainly comparing the efficiency of a The studies on removing Ni (II) by Pseudomonas fluorescens (biosorbing) immobilized in sodium alginate –polviy1 alcohol in bio-beads, Ci (initial concentrations) of 5, 10, 20 and 25 ppm of initial concentrations, b) on removing Cr(VI) by Pseudomonas fluorescens (bio-sorbing) immobilized in sodium alginate-polyviny1 alcohol in bio-beads, at Ci of 5, 10, 15 and 20 ppm of initial concentrations and c) on removal of both Ni(II) and Cr(VI) together in presence of each other at an Ci of Ni (II) & Cr(VI) --- i)20-5, ii)20-10, iii))20-20, iv)50-5, v)50-10 & vi)50-20ppm respectively. Besides the surface studies using SEM and chemical characteristics by FT-IR of the immobilized media was studied.
Key words: Pseudomonas fluorescens, immobilization, removal Ni(II), Cr(VI), SEM
