Chromium-Resistant Bacteria and Their Environmental Condition for Hexavalent Chromium Removal: A Review

The anthropogenic inputs of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] have increased enormously during the past few decades and has become a challenge for life on earth and hence removal of this carcinogen has become the need of the hour. Cr(VI) removal through common physicochemical techniques is highly expensive and inappropriate at low concentration. Microbial reduction of Cr(VI) to trivalent form is considered a favorable technique for Cr(VI) removal from wastewater, as it reduces the highly toxic form of Cr to less toxic form and therefore the article conveys essential fundamental information on removal of Cr(VI) by bacteria. For efficient bioremoval of Cr(VI),the main machinery of the process, the microbes, and their conditions, which decide the fate of this heavy metal, should be appropriate. Hence, the authors cover vast information about the isolation of chromium-resistant bacteria from various environment and their Cr(VI) resistance capability. An extensive report is given on information pertaining to the factors such as cell density, pH, temperature, salt concentration, oxidation-reduction potential, electron donor, oxyanions, metabolic inhibitors, and other heavy metals that influence or affect the efficient Cr(VI) removal. Cr(VI) removal by immobilized bacterial cells and their advantages has also been summarized. In transferring this technology from laboratory to a large-scale application, better understanding of all these aspects is necessary. Hence, this developing biotechnological method that encompasses fields from genetic engineering to reactor engineering demands focused research in these directions, which may lead to implementation of this technology on a larger scale and drive it toward being the most opted-for technology.