Bioremediation of chromium and lead in wastewater from chemistry laboratories promotes by cyanobacteria

Microorganisms have been considered as an alternative for bioremediation of contaminated water, and they are naturally available in the environment. This work evaluated the potential of cyanobacteria for bioremediation of chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb) from wastewater obtained from chemistry laboratories. Cell density and total cyanobacterium biomass were evaluated during 240 h to compare the growth in the control medium and the water contaminated by heavy metals, as well as the lethal concentration of metals to cyanobacteria. After 240 h of incubation, the Cr concentration in laboratory wastewater decreased from 63.8 to 56.2 mu g/L (around 12 % less than the initial concentration) and Pb decreased from 418 to 239 mu g/L (around 43 %). The total accumulation of Cr and Pb in the cyanobacterium biomass was around 30 % and 65 %, respectively. Therefore, these results showed that the cyanobacteria could be suitable for bioremediation of Cr and Pb from wastewater.