Biosorption of arsenic through bacteria isolated from Pakistan

The aim of this study was to isolate arsenic-resistant bacteria and to further exploit it for remediation purposes. In the present study, we have isolated arsenic-resistant strain from ground water of Pakistan AT-01. The strain was cultivated at 37 degrees C in Luria Bertani broth supplemented with different concentrations of arsenate and arsenite. The minimum inhibitory concentration of arsenic against the bacterial isolate was 7 g/L (7000 mg/L) for arsenate and 1.4 g/L (1400 mg/L) for arsenite salt. The bacterial isolate was also characterized both on molecular and biochemical basis. The isolated strain belonged to the Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The high resistance against arsenic offered by the bacteria was exploited further for bioremediation purposes. The bacterial biomass generated from AT-01 strain was able to efficiently remove arsenic with 98% efficiency. Arsenic contamination of ground water is a widespread worldwide problem. The present study shows the potential of high arsenic-resistant bacteria for efficient arsenic removal.