Capacidad degradadora de pseudomonas aeruginosa frente a metales pesadospresentes en muestras de sedimentos del río Chibunga

The objective of this study is to evaluate the biodegradation capacity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria on sludge from the Chibunga River as a specific substrate. For this, 4 points along the river were selected; Susceptibility to contamination and environmental impact were taken into consideration based on a land use map. Sampling was carried out at the points and taken to a laboratory to be analyzed and determine the concentration of heavy metals before starting the treatment. Metals evaluated include Al, Cu, Ba, Zn, Cd, Ni, Pb, Sr, Ti and Zn. The tolerance capacity to heavy metals by the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria was determined and bioaugmentation tests were carried out on the collected samples. It was found that the bacteria tolerate concentrations of 2 millimolar (mM) of all heavy metals, in the case of Al, Zn and Cu it can resist higher concentrations (5 and 10 mM). Bioaugmentation with Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the samples managed to reduce the concentration of all heavy metals, especially Al, Ti and Zn, which decreased up to 60% compared to the initial concentrations. Keywords: Pseudomona aeruginosa, heavy metals, bioaugmentation, bacterial colonies, biodegradation.