Ability of <i>Staphylococcus epidermidis</i> and <i>Escherichia coli</i> to Eliminate Cadmium, Lead and Copper from Tigris River in Mosul City

The heavy metals are non-biodegradable and could be toxic and carcinogenic, thus, their improper concentration in water could result in critical health issues for living organisms. Therefore, this study aimed to remove three heavy metals (Cadmium, lead and copper) by biological treatment especially using environmental nonpathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli. Eight samples were collected from Tigris River from different regions of Mosul city. Two containers were used for each sample to measure the concentration of minerals before and after treatment by bacteria. The results showed that E. coli was more efficient in removing two heavy metals (cadmium and lead), while the Staph. epidermidis was more capable of removing copper. This may benefit the sustainable development of the environment in the future by using these bacteria to remove hazardous metals if they are present in large concentrations in the water.