Biodegradation of Lead
from Accumulated Municipal Solid
Waste Using Bacterial Consortium
for Effective Biomining
Mihigo Felix, Manikandan Arjunan, Kavya Siddeshwar,
Rajakumar Sundaram, and Prashanthi Devi Marimuthu
Abstract Discharge of waste containing heavy metals through anthropogenic activities has created global environmental and health burden and remediation of contaminated sites becomes more expensive, however sustainable methods of degrading
heavy metals using resistant microorganisms have become important biotechnological development. 42 lead resistant bacteria were isolated from municipal solid waste
in Tiruchirappalli. Lead resistant bacteria were screened and the maximum tolerable
concentration was found to be in the range of 100–260 mg/kg. Lead resistant bacteria
such as Pseudomonas spp., Klebsiella spp., Enterobacter spp., Escherichia spp. were
identified and used to make consortium and used in column test. The results show
lead diminishing from 0.923 to 0.1943 ppm concerning the control sample from day
1 until day 10. The consortium used has shown capability to biodegrade lead in solid
waste and may further be used for biomining and other bioremediation studies.
Keywords Municipal solid waste · Bioming · Bioremediation
1 Introduction
Environmental pollution is one of the major global threats. Anthropogenic activities are the major source of heavy metals in the environment causing environmental and public health concern through contamination by these heavy metals
(Tchounwou 2012). Various industrial activities such as agriculture, mining, electroplating, mining, leather industries release heavy metals through waste and effluent
discharges. Due to the higher concentration of heavy metals released in effluents,
it affects aquatic life (Moten and Rehman 1998). However various bacteria and
other microorganisms have acquired resistance mechanisms for adaptation in toxic
M. Felix · K. Siddeshwar · P. D. Marimuthu (B)
Department of Environmental Science and Management, Bharathidasan University,
Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India
e-mail: prashanthidevi@gmail.com
M. Arjunan · R. Sundaram
Department of Marine Biotechnology, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
M. Prashanthi et al. (eds.), Bioremediation and Green Technologies, Environmental
Science and Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64122-1_8
103
from Accumulated Municipal Solid
Waste Using Bacterial Consortium
for Effective Biomining
Mihigo Felix, Manikandan Arjunan, Kavya Siddeshwar,
Rajakumar Sundaram, and Prashanthi Devi Marimuthu
Abstract Discharge of waste containing heavy metals through anthropogenic activities has created global environmental and health burden and remediation of contaminated sites becomes more expensive, however sustainable methods of degrading
heavy metals using resistant microorganisms have become important biotechnological development. 42 lead resistant bacteria were isolated from municipal solid waste
in Tiruchirappalli. Lead resistant bacteria were screened and the maximum tolerable
concentration was found to be in the range of 100–260 mg/kg. Lead resistant bacteria
such as Pseudomonas spp., Klebsiella spp., Enterobacter spp., Escherichia spp. were
identified and used to make consortium and used in column test. The results show
lead diminishing from 0.923 to 0.1943 ppm concerning the control sample from day
1 until day 10. The consortium used has shown capability to biodegrade lead in solid
waste and may further be used for biomining and other bioremediation studies.
Keywords Municipal solid waste · Bioming · Bioremediation
1 Introduction
Environmental pollution is one of the major global threats. Anthropogenic activities are the major source of heavy metals in the environment causing environmental and public health concern through contamination by these heavy metals
(Tchounwou 2012). Various industrial activities such as agriculture, mining, electroplating, mining, leather industries release heavy metals through waste and effluent
discharges. Due to the higher concentration of heavy metals released in effluents,
it affects aquatic life (Moten and Rehman 1998). However various bacteria and
other microorganisms have acquired resistance mechanisms for adaptation in toxic
M. Felix · K. Siddeshwar · P. D. Marimuthu (B)
Department of Environmental Science and Management, Bharathidasan University,
Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India
e-mail: prashanthidevi@gmail.com
M. Arjunan · R. Sundaram
Department of Marine Biotechnology, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
M. Prashanthi et al. (eds.), Bioremediation and Green Technologies, Environmental
Science and Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64122-1_8
103