Simultaneous bioaccumulation of multiple metals from electroplating effluent using Aspergillus lentulus

Toxic impacts of heavy metals in the environment have lead to intensive research on various methods of heavy metal remediation. However, in spite of abundant work on heavy metals removal from simple synthetic solutions, a very few studies demonstrate the potential of microbial strains for the treatment of industrial effluents containing mixtures of metals. In the present study, the efficiency of an environmental isolate (Aspergillus lentulusFJ172995), for simultaneous removal of chromium, copper and lead from a small-scale electroplating industry effluent was investigated. Initial studies with synthetic solutions infer that A. lentulus has a remarkable tolerance against Cr, Cu, Pb and Ni. During its growth, a significant bioaccumulation of individual metal was recorded. After 5 d of growth, the removal of metals from synthetic solutions followed the trend Pb2+ (100%) > Cr3+ (79%) > Cu2+ (78%), > Ni2+ (42%). When this strain was applied to the treatment of multiple metal containing electroplating effluent (after pH adjustment), the metal concentrations decreased by 71%, 56% and 100% for Cr, Cu and Pb, respectively within 11 d. Based on our results, we propose that the simultaneous removal of hazardous metals from industrial effluents can be accomplished using A. lentulus.

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► Aspergillus lentulus displayed high MIC and varied toxicity response against various metals.
► Significant removal of Cr (79%), Cu (78%), Ni (42%) & Pb (71%) from synthetic solutions.
► Very high uptake capacity for Cr (331 mg g−1) and Pb (1120 mg g−1).
►  Simultaneous removal of Cr, Cu & Pb from industrial effluent via bioaccumulation.
► A. lentulus bears high potential for hazardous waste treatment.