This document summarizes research on using microbes to remove mercury from water. It discusses how mercury is toxic and can be found in the environment from natural and human sources. Various microbes like bacteria, yeast and protozoa are able to bind and remove heavy metals like mercury from water. The document details the materials and methods used, including growing different microbes in specific mediums. Tests showed that Bacillus ceruse was able to remove 73% of mercury individually and other microbes removed up to 80%. Bacillus ceruse cells were also effective when used in a continuous column, demonstrating their potential as a mercury remediation system. Microbial bioremediation is an effective natural process for detoxifying heavy metals like

1. Removal of mercury
from water using
microbes
BIOREMEDIATION OF MERCURY

2. CONTENTS:
A:Introduction
B:Materials and method used
C:chemicals required
D:procedure and working details
E:Result
F:Discussion and reference

3. Introduction on mercury
• Mercury is one of the most toxic heavy metals in the environment and releases to
environment by natural and anthropogenic process
• The toxicity of organic and inorganic mercury compound is due to their strong affinity for
sulphur containing organic compounds like enzyme and proteins.
• Mercury binds to the sulfhydryl groups of enzyme and proteins and stop the cell function.
• It causes neurological disorder ,such as parasthensia and numbness in the fingers ,this the
symptoms of minamta disease.
• Bioremediation generally uses microbes like bacteria ,yeast , protozoa and these microbes
have ability to binding the heavy metal like mercury.
• Remediation through chemical compound have secondary pollution so its better approach
to use biological things like microbes.
• Detoxification and bioremediation of mercury is major issue in the field of environment
biotechnology.

4. Materials and methods used
A:Water samples of the contaminated mercury were collected in sterilized screw capped
glass bottles.
B:physical parameters of wastewater are PH and temperature.
C:Large number of bacteria, yeast and protozoa are present in the water so to maintain
the growth of these microbes different chemical mediums are used.
MATERIALS USED :
1:Luria Bartani Agar medium:1%Nacl,1%Tryptone,5%yeast used for growth of bacteria.
2:YEPD:1%yeast,.5%peptone,0.2%glucose and 1.5%agar is used for culturing yeast.
3:Bold basal medium used for culturing protozoa.
These are the materials used for cultivating microbes for remediation of mercury in water
sample

5. A:This study is based on use of Bacillus ceruse cells for remediation of
mercury.
B:The maximum biosorption capacity of the cell is found to be 104.1mg
per gram.
C:The main free energy value evaluated using the DUBIN-
REDUSHKEVICH model was 15.8kj per mol.
D:This indicates that the mercury remediation process under
investigation was chemically more favorable then the physically
adsorption process.
E:The remediation process seems to follow pseudo second order
kinetics and the apparent free energy change shows that the
biosorption process of mercury is thermodynamically feasible and
spontaneous in nature.
REMOVAL OF MERCURY THROUGH “BACILLUS CEROS ”CELLS:

6. E:The using of Bacillus ceruse cells in a continuous column
for effective mercury remediation was also attempted and
break through point obtained after 11 hour flow of
sample.
F:This result indicates that the B.cerus cells constitute a
prospective mercury remediation system.
G:some other microorganisms are also used for
bioremediation of mercury.
H:Mercury reduction by mercury resistance
microorganism is a good mechanism for mercury bio
remediation.

7. Results of bioremediation:
• A:The mercury resistance microorganisms isolated from water
contaminated with mercury ions.
• B:on the basic of physical and chemical tests bacterium was
identified as Bacillus sp .;yeast as candida sp.
• C:in the present study we used the microorganism bacillus ceruse.
When the microorganism used individually .it was observed that
bacteria removed 73%,yeast removed 80%of mercury after 72 hr of
incubation.
• D:In the case of B.CERUS CELLS the break through point obtained
after 11hr flow so its constitute a prospective remediation system.

8. Discussion:
• A:Large variety of microorganisms including bacteria yeast and
protozoa are found in industrial waste water.
• B:Mercury reduction by mercury resistance microorganism is a good
mechanism for mercury bioremediation.
• Microbial bioremediation using mercury resistance microorganism
has been shown to be useful.
• Several studies have reported improvements in metal removal by
immobilisation of protozoa , yeast or bacterial cells.
• Mercury reduction by mercury resistance bacteria is a good
mechanism for bioremediation but the recovery of metallic Hg
needs to be pointed in order to avoid its escape into the
atmosphere.

9. •The principle of bioremediation is the permanent solution to
the problem of contaminated environment
•Microorganism in contaminated environment have
developed resistance to mercury and are playing a major
role in natural decontamination.
•Bioremediation plays a vital role in detoxification of heavy
metals like mercury because it has no secondary pollution.
•This study was based on bacillus ceruse cells ,which
constitute a prospective mercury remediation system.

10. REFERENCE:RBARKAY, T., MILLER S.M. AND
SUMMERS, A.O., 2003. Bacterial mercury resistance from
atoms to ecosystems. FEMS Microbiol. Rev., 27: 355-384.
CERVANTES, C. AND GUITERREZ-CORONA, F., 1994.
Copper resistance mechanisms in bacteria and fungi.
FEMS Microbiol. Rev., 14:121-137. CHEESBROUGH, M.,
1993. Medical laboratory manual for tropical countries
Vol.II Microbiology. Butterworth Heinemann Ltd. Linacre
House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP. pp. 264-265. CHIU,
H.H., SHIEH, W.Y., LIN, S.U., TSENG, C.H.M., CHIANG,
P.W. A. DE, J. AND RAMAIAH, N., 2007.

11. THANKYOU
CENTURION UNIVERSITY . JATNI