Heavy Metal Bioremediation by Novel Microbial Strains Proteus Mirabilis and Bordetella Avium

Abstract The entitled study focuses on exploring the microbial diversity and its applicability in the remediation of metal contaminated soil using microbes which is a reliable, and cost effective technique. Present investigation studied microbiota present in tungsten enriched soil of kuhi-Agargaon-Khobna region using culturable approach confirmed by ICP-MS and SEM-EDS analysis. Furthur applicability in Bioremediation and Azo Dye degradation was studied. XRF analyses of soil samples were performed followed by traditional microbiological analysis for isolation of tungsten tolerant bacteria’s. Tungsten accumulation was confirmed using ICP-MS and SEM-EDS techniques. Different metals and azo dye tolerance studies were conducted. Antibiotic susceptibility test revealed the antibiotic resistance profile of these microbes. XRF analyses of soil samples from these regions measured about 300 ppm tungsten/kg of soil at the Agargaon region and 200 ppm tungsten/kg of soil at the Khobna region. The traditional microbiological analysis resulted in two bacterial isolates which were identified for tolerance to tungsten named as Proteus mirabilis strain RS2K and Bordetella avium strain RS3K through 16S rDNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. These microbes were found to accumulate tungsten intracellularly as confirmed through ICP-MS and SEM-EDS analyses. In addition to (sodium) tungsten, the microbes were tolerant to tungstic acid, ammonium metaparatungstate, mercuric chloride, cobalt chloride and azo dyes .Microbes exhibited well-equipped cellular mechanisms for metal tolerance to survive in heavy metal-laden ecology. The novel strains obtained through a culturable approach in this study contain substantial potential in bioleaching of heavy metals and green mining.