Removal of Phenol from Industrial Waste Water by a Native Bacterial Strain

Abstract

Water is vital for all known forms of life. Phenol is characteristic pollutant in waste water and effluents from chemicals, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles and steel industries. Due to the high toxicity of phenols, they are strictly regulated and their industrial use is increasingly avoided by substituting them with harmless compounds. Phenol contaminants are relatively soluble in water and accumulate in soil, resulting in extensive surface water, ground water and soil contamination owing to its severe toxicity.

In the present investigation a bacterial strain was isolated from Dankuni coal complex containing high phenol concentration. By performing different biochemical tests and 16s ribotyping the strain has been identified as Bacillus pumilus strain SCH2JF914985. The ability of the isolated strain to remove phenol was studied at various phenol concentrations ranging from 100mg/l to 800mg/l. The treated samples were further analyzed by High performance liquid chromatography to determine the nature of the removal product.