Chromium Removal by Using Chosen Pseudomonads

Tannery effluent is a major source of aquatic pollution in India. Hexavalent chromium compounds are being used in a wide variety of commercial processes and unregulated disposal of the chromium containing effluent has led to the contamination of soil, sediment, surface and ground waters. In trace amounts, chromium is considered an essential nutrient for numerous organisms, but at higher level, it is toxic and mutagenic. Therefore in the present study three strains of Pseudomonas such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. fluorescens strain 1 and 2 were isolated from the collected tannery effluent samples. All the three strains showed more than 60 percentage of reduction for all chromium concentrations (500, 1000, 1500 and 2000ppm) tested.