Development of Bacterial Consortia for Multi Metal Bioremediation: A Sustainable Approach to Wastewater Treatment

Heavy metals such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and nickel (Ni) are commonly discharged into aquatic ecosystems due to industrial activities, posing serious environmental and public health threats. Conventional treatment methods are often inadequate or uneconomical, particularly at low metal concentrations. This study aims to develop and evaluate a bacterial consortium capable of simultaneously tolerating and removing Pb, Cd, and Ni from contaminated wastewater. From industrial effluent sites, 60 morphologically distinct bacterial isolates were screened for resistance to Pb(II), Cd(II), and Ni(II). Three highly tolerant strains were selected and tested in combination to form microbial consortia. Consortium C3, comprising Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Lysinibacillus macroides, and Enterobacter cloacae, showed the highest removal efficiency, achieving over 70% removal for each metal under optimized batch culture conditions. 16S rRNA sequencing confirmed species identity. These results highlight the potential of native bacterial consortia as a cost-effective and eco-friendly solution for the bioremediation of multi-metal industrial effluents.