IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 314: Biosorption of Cadmium by Non-Toxic Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) Synthesized by Bacteria from Marine Intertidal Biofilms

IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 314: Biosorption of Cadmium by Non-Toxic Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) Synthesized by Bacteria from Marine Intertidal Biofilms

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15020314

Authors: Juan Camacho-Chab María Castañeda-Chávez Manuel Chan-Bacab Ruth Aguila-Ramírez Itzel Galaviz-Villa Pascual Bartolo-Pérez Fabiola Lango-Reynoso Carolina Tabasco-Novelo Christine Gaylarde Benjamín Ortega-Morales

Cadmium is a major heavy metal found in polluted aquatic environments, mainly derived from industrial production processes. We evaluated the biosorption of solubilized Cd2+ using the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) produced by Bacillus sp. MC3B-22 and Microbacterium sp. MC3B-10 (Microbactan); these bacteria were originally isolated from intertidal biofilms off the coast of Campeche, Mexico. EPS were incubated with different concentrations of cadmium in ultrapure water. Residual Cd2+ concentrations were determined by Inductive Coupled Plasma-Optic Emission Spectrometry and the maximum sorption capacity (Qmax) was calculated according to the Langmuir model. EPS were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) before and after sorption. The Qmax of Cd2+ was 97 mg g−1 for Microbactan and 141 mg g−1 for MC3B-22 EPS, these adsorption levels being significantly higher than previously reported for other microbial EPS. In addition, XPS analysis revealed changes in structure of EPS after biosorption and showed that amino functional groups contributed to the binding of Cd2+, unlike other studies that show the carbohydrate fraction is responsible for this activity. This work expands the current view of bacterial species capable of synthesizing EPS with biosorbent potential for cadmium and provides evidence that different chemical moieties, other than carbohydrates, participate in this process.

http://ift.tt/2EkviyL