Bioremediation of toxic substances by mercury resistant marine bacteria.

Bioremediation of toxic substances includes microbe-mediated enzymatic transformation of toxicants to non-toxic, often assimilable, forms. Mercury-resistant marine bacteria are found to be very promising in dealing with mercury, and a host of other highly toxic heavy metals and xenobiotics. In the present studies we have shown that the Pseudomonas aeruginosa CH07 (NRRL B-30604) has been able to degrade a variety of PCB congeners including a complete degradation of CB-126 and CB-181. The culture was able to remove over 70% Cd from growth medium when supplemented with 100 ppm Cd. The same bacterium rapidly biotransformed/removed toxic mercury from wastewater in a bioreactor system.