Bioremediation of some Heavy metals from Wupa River using Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas putida

Abstract

Pollution of water by heavy metals is a serious threat to the environment and the health of living organisms. This study was carried out to investigate the bioremediation potential of Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas putida on some heavy metals (Lead, copper and zinc) from water samples collected from Wupa River in Abuja. Water samples were collected and analyzed using standard procedures. The result shows that all the measured physicochemical parameters observed in the water sample from Wupa River are within the World Health Organization's maximum permissible limit for freshwater. In heavy metal mean concentration, lead records the highest (11.09 ± 0.84 mg/L) while zinc records the lowest in the sampled water. The absorbance of Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas increases from day 1 in all the treated heavy metals, except in the control sample, which records a decrease in absorption as sampling day increases. The application of Bacillus subtilis only (BS), Pseudomonas putida (P), and the combination of Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas putida in water showed a good remediation potential of heavy metals, as there was significant reduction in both physicochemical and heavy metals of the water samples. This study highlights the potential of fungal bioremediation as a sustainable and eco-friendly method for heavy metal removal from contaminated water bodies.