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Comparing the Tolerance Limits of Selected Bacterial and Protozoan Species to Vanadium in Wastewater Systems

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Abstract

This study compared the tolerance limits of selected bacterial (Bacillus licheniformis, Brevibacillus lactosporus and Pseudomonas putida) and protozoan (Aspidisca, Trachelophyllum and Peranema) species to V5+ in wastewater systems. The isolates were exposed to various concentrations of V5+ (from 10 to 240 ppm), and their tolerance limits to this heavy metal were assessed at different temperatures (25, 30, 35 and 40°C) and pHs (4, 6, 7, 8 and 10) for 5 days. Chemical oxygen demand (COD), dissolved oxygen (DO) and die-off rate of the isolates were measured using standard methods. The results indicated that test isolates were tolerant to V5+, with a gradual decrease in their colony/cell counts when V5+ concentration gradually increased. Bacterial species were found to be more significantly tolerant (MIC: 110–230 ppm V5+) to V5+ than protozoan species which showed an earlier total inhibition/die-off rate (100%) at 60–100 ppm V5+ (MIC) (p < 0.001). P. putida was the most tolerant bacterial species (MIC: 230 ppm V5+) and Aspidisca sp. the most sensitive protozoan species (MIC: 60 ppm V5+). An increase in COD and DO removal was observed throughout the experimental period. The highest COD increase (up to 237.11%) and DO removal (almost 100%) were observed in mixed liquor inoculated with P. putida after exposure to 10 ppm V5+. Changes in pH and temperature affected the tolerance limits of all isolates. This study suggests the use of these tolerant bacterial and protozoan species in the bioremediation of V5+ from domestic and industrial wastewater under the control of pH and temperature.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the National Research Foundation (NRF) for the funding of this project. We are also grateful to Mathapelo Seopela, a technician at the Department of Chemistry, for her technical assistance.

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  1. Department of Environmental, Water and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, Tshwane University of Technology, Arcadia Campus, Private Bag X680, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa

    I. Kamika & M. N. B. Momba

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  1. I. Kamika
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Correspondence to M. N. B. Momba.

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Kamika, I., Momba, M.N.B. Comparing the Tolerance Limits of Selected Bacterial and Protozoan Species to Vanadium in Wastewater Systems. Water Air Soil Pollut 223, 2525–2539 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-011-1045-9

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