Aims: Chromium salt possesses unique characteristics that render it useful in numerous applications in several industrial processes, especially tanning of animal hides which act as a major source of hexavalent chromium toxicity in environment. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of loofah immobilized Cladosporium cladosporioides CEL14 in remediate tannery wastewater which contains hexavalent chromium.
Methodology and results: A total of 18 fungal species were isolated from three different sites of tannery wastewater in Egypt, of which C. cladosporioides CEL14 was the most capable species of chromate remediation with 81% after 7 days of incubation as free cells. The experiments were conducted in minimum salt medium supplemented with 200 ppm chromate in the form of potassium dichromate. Different process parameters studies demonstrated that chromate was completely removed at 30 °C, pH 6, 0.1% malt extract and 0.2% glucose after 7 days of incubation with 20% inoculum size. After that, C. cladosporioides was immobilized on a natural support material (loofah). The removal ability of chromate was enhanced through permanent viable immobilization on loofah pieces, which showing complete removal of chromate within 3 days. The toxicity assessment of treated tannery effluents revealed that 74% of Brassica napus seeds were germinated upon exposure to the treated effluent.
Conclusion, significance and impact of study: This study revealed that C. cladosporioides CEL14 isolate has high potential as bioremediating agent against toxic hexavalent chromium. The removal ability of toxic chromate was enhanced through permanent viable immobilization on loofah pieces. This technology is simple, cost effective, efficient and environmentally friendly. The loofah immobilized with C. cladosporioides CEL14 has potential to be applied in wastewater treatment of small-scale tanneries after onsite trials.