Bioremediation of Chromium contamination by Aspergillus and Rhizopus

Abstract

Rapid industrialization and human activities, including the unregulated use of agrochemicals, fossil fuel combustion, and sewage sludge disposal, have led to significant contamination of soils and waterways with heavy metals. These metals are non-biodegradable and persist in the environment, necessitating remediation to prevent their leaching or movement into other environmental segments and to enable their extraction. Heavy metal pollution is becoming more prevalent over time, reducing the potential for healthy food production from natural resources. These metals are usually toxic, leading to various abnormalities in plants, animals, and humans. Toxic heavy metal ions include chromium ions, particularly hexavalent ions (Cr(VI)) produced by various industrial processes like metallurgy, petroleum refractory, electroplating, mineral extraction, tanning factories, textile, paper pulp, etc. reached in to water bodies can cause detrimental effects on aquatic life, plants, microorganisms, and humans. Although chromium (Cr) (VI) is recognized as a dangerous form, it can be bioremediated by living cells to become (Cr) (III), which is less harmful. As Chromium (Cr) (VI) is known as an hazardous form it can be reduced to (Cr) (III) through bioremediation by living cells which is less toxic, In this study, we investigated the efficiency of biosorption of chromium by chromium tolerent fungi Aspergillus and Rhizopus isolated from soil of industrial area of Raipur city.