Bioremediation of Sewage Water by Three Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) Producing Bacterial Strains using Molasses as A Carbon Source

Heavy metal pollution is a growing environmental concern that affects ecosystem, human health and biodiversity. Cadmium is one of the most hazardous heavy metal, exhibiting high toxicity in plants, animals and humans. It is widely distributed in environment due to industrial activities, urbanization and improper waste disposal. This necessitates the removal of toxic metals from the wastewater and soil sediments. Bioremediation using microorganisms promises to be an excellent choice for the detoxification of heavy metals from wastewater. Molasses, a cost effective by product of sugar industry serves as an excellent carbon source for bacterial EPS production. Integrating molassess based EPS production with microbial bioremediation holds promise for sustainable pollution control and waste management. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of three extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) producing bacteria EPS-1, EPS-2 and EPS-3, to remove cadmium from sewage wastewater using molasses as a source of carbon. The bioremediation of cadmium from sewage water was examined under in vitro conditions. The removal efficiency (%) of Cd2+ by the isolates was determined by using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS). Results showed that EPS-1 had maximum removal efficiency of 51%, while the removal by EPS-2 and EPS-3 was found to be 37% and 49%, respectively after 72 h of incubation under in vitro conditions in sewage water amended with molasses. If combined with inexpensive carbon sources, bioremediation of sewage water using EPS producing bacteria might be a more economical and sustainable option than chemical treatments. The results signify the potential of bacterial strains for their application in large scale removal of Cd2+ present in polluted water.