Characterization of a metal resistant Pseudomonas sp. isolated from uranium mine for its potential in heavy metal (Ni2+, Co2+, Cu2+, and Cd2+) sequestration

Heavy metal sequestration by a multimetal resistant Pseudomonas strain isolated from a uranium mine was characterized for its potential application in metal bioremediation. 16S rRNA gene analysis revealed phylogenetic relatedness of this isolate to Pseudomonas fluorescens. Metal uptake by this bacterium was monophasic, fast saturating, concentration and pH dependent with maximum loading of 1048 nmol Ni2+ followed by 845 nmol Co2+, 828 nmol Cu2+ and 700 nmol Cd2+ mg−1 dry wt. Preferential metal deposition in cell envelope was confirmed by TEM and cell fractionation. FTIR spectroscopy and EDX analysis revealed a major role of carboxyl and phosphoryl groups along with a possible ion exchange mechanism in cation binding. Binary system demonstrated selective metal binding affinity in the order of Cu2+ > Ni2+ > Co2+ > Cd2+. A comparison with similar metal uptake reports considering live bacteria strongly indicated the superiority of this strain in metal sequestration, which could be useful for developing efficient metal removal system.