Comparison Of Cd2+ Biosorption And Bioaccumulation By Bacteria – A Radiometric Study

Abstract

In this work, bioaccumulation and biosorption characteristics of Cd²⁺ ions by both dead and living non-growing biomass of gram-positive bacteria Kocuria palustris and Micrococcus luteus isolated from spent nuclear fuel pools were compared. The radioindicator method with radionuclide ¹⁰⁹Cd was used to obtain precise and reliable data characterizing Cd compartmentalization in bacterial cells. The following cellular distribution of Cd in living non-growing biomass after 4 h incubation in solutions containing different concentration of Cd²⁺ ions (100, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 µmol/L) spiked with ¹⁰⁹CdCl₂ under aeration at 30 °C were obtained: in M. luteus almost 85 % of Cd was localized on the cell surface and 15 % in cytoplasm. Similarly, in K. palustris 83 % of Cd was localized on the cell surface and 17 % in cytoplasm. The data were obtained by gamma spectrometry of extracts and solids after sequential extraction of biomass with 5 mM Ca(NO₃)₂ and 20 mM EDTA. Biosorption of Cd by non-living bacterial biomass is a rapid process strongly affected by solution pH and as was confirmed by FTIR analysis beside carboxylate ions also other functional groups such as amino and phosphate contribute to Cd binding by bacterial cell surfaces. Maximum sorption capacities Qmax (μmol/g) calculated from the Langmuir isotherm were 444 ± 15 μmol/g for M. luteus and 381 ± 1 μmol/g for K. palustris.