BACTERIAL REMOVAL OF HEAVY METALS IONS FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS OF SALTS

Bacteria isolated from industrial ecotopes of Ufa were studied for the uptake of metal ions from aqueous solutions of salts simulating the composition of wastewater. The study found that Pb(II) and Cr(VI) ions were the most accessible to the studied strains ‒ they were removed from solutions by three strains each: Bacillus megaterium 32T, Raoultella planticola 36D, Raoultella planticola 33-4CPA and Pseudomonas sp. 34DCP, B. megaterium 32T, R. planticola 36D, respectively. The ability to remove Fe(III) ions was revealed in two cultures ‒ Bacillus subtilis 19S and B. megaterium 32T, Cd(II) and Cu(II) ions were removed only by the Pseudomonas sp. 34DCP strain. The most difficult for heavy metals ions removing by bacteria were Co(II) ions; not a single strain could interact with them. With the highest efficiency, over 70%, Pb(II) ions were removed from aqueous solutions of salts by cells of the strains B. megaterium 32T and R. planticola 33 4CPA, as well as Cr(VI) ions by B. megaterium 32T and R. planticola 36D cultures. With an efficiency of over 50%, Cd(II) and Cu(II) ions were removed by the Pseudomonas sp. 34DCP culture, Pb(II) ions by the R. planticola 36D culture, and Fe(III) ions by the B. subtilis 19S culture, respectively. In other cases, the efficiency of heavy metals ions removing from aqueous solutions of salts by bacteria was lower (from 37% to 41%).