Experimental Investigation of <i>Chlorella vulgaris</i> and <i>Enterobacter</i> sp. MN17 for Decolorization and Removal of Heavy Metals from Textile Wastewater
Muhammad Mubashar,
Muhammad Naveed,
Adnan Mustafa,
Sobia Ashraf,
Khurram Shehzad Baig,
Saud Alamri,
Manzer H. Siddiqui,
Magdalena Zabochnicka-Świątek,
Michał Szota,
Hazem M. Kalaji
Affiliations
Muhammad Mubashar
Key Laboratory for Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
Muhammad Naveed
Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
Adnan Mustafa
National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Sobia Ashraf
Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
Khurram Shehzad Baig
Soil Fertility Institute, Lahore 53700, Punjab, Pakistan
Saud Alamri
Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Manzer H. Siddiqui
Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Magdalena Zabochnicka-Świątek
Faculty of Infrastructure and Environment, Częstochowa University of Technology, Dąbrowskiego 73, 42-201 Częstochowa, Poland
Michał Szota
Faculty of Processing Engineering and Materials Technology, Częstochowa University of Technology, Armii Krajowej 19, 42-200 Częstochowa, Poland
Hazem M. Kalaji
Department of Plant Physiology, Institute of Biology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
The present study evaluated the performance of microalgae Chlorella vulgaris in an Enterobacter sp. MN17-assisted textile industry wastewater treatment system for decolorization, removal of heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Pb, and Cd), and chemical oxygen demand (COD). Different dilutions (5, 10, and 20%) of wastewater were prepared to decrease the pollutant toxicity for culturing microalgae and bacteria. Reduction of color, COD, and metal contents by microalgal treatment of wastewater varied greatly, while removal efficiency (RE) was significantly enhanced when endophytic bacterial strain MN17 inoculum was applied. Most notable, results were found at a 5% dilution level by Enterobacter sp. MN17-inoculated C. vulgaris medium, as chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), and lead (Pb) concentrations were decreased from 1.32 to 0.27 mg L−1 (79% decrease), 0.79–0.14 mg L−1 (93% decrease), 1.33–0.36 mg L−1 (72% decrease), and 1.2–0.25 mg L−1 (79% decrease), respectively. The values of COD and color were also significantly decreased by 74% and 70%, respectively, by a C. vulgaris–Enterobacter sp. MN17 consortium. The present investigation revealed that bacterial inoculation of microalgae significantly enhanced the removal of coloring agents and heavy metals from textile wastewater by stimulating the growth of algal biomass. This study manifested the usefulness of microalgae–bacterial mutualism for the remediation of heavy metals, COD, and color in industrial effluents. Microalgae consortia with growth promoting bacteria could be a breakthrough for better bioremediation and bioprocess economy. Thus, further studies are needed for successful integration of microalgae–plant growth promoting bacterial (PGPB) consortium for wastewater treatments.
