Adsorption of cesium ion by marine actinobacterium Nocardiopsis sp. 13H and their extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) role in bioremediation.

This paper evaluates the cesium adsorption of marine actinobacterium Nocardiposis sp. 13H strain isolated from nuclear power plant sites in India. It could remove 88.6 ± 0.72% of Cs+ from test solution containing 10 mM CsCl2. The biosorption of Cs+ with different environmental factors such as pH, temperature, and time interval is also determined. Scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed the Cs+ adsorption by Nocardiopsis sp. 13H. Most of the bound cesium was found to be associated extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) suggesting its interaction with the surface active groups. The main component of the EPS was carbohydrate followed by protein and nucleic acid. Further, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy suggested the carboxyl, hydroxyl, and amide groups on the strain cell surface were likely to be involved in Cs+ adsorption. Results from this study show Nocardiopsis sp. 13H microorganism could be useful in exploring the biosorption of radioisotope pollution and developing efficient and eco-friendly biosorbent for environmental cleanup.