Globally, the underlying peril of cumulative toxicity of heavy metals in water bodies contaminated by industrial effluents is a matter of great concern to the environmentalists. Heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and nickel are particularly liable for this. Such toxic water is not only hazardous to human health but also harmful to aquatic animals. Remedial measures are being taken by physico-chemical techniques, but most of them are neither eco-friendly nor cost-effective. Biological means like bioaccumulation of heavy metals by viable bacteria are often tedious. In the present study, biosorption of heavy metals is successfully expedited by surfactant exopolysaccharide (SEPS) of Ochrobactrum pseudintermedium C1 as a simple, safe, and economically sustainable option utilizing an easily available and cost-effective substrate like molasses extract. Its efficacy in bioremediation of toxic heavy metals like cadmium, nickel, and lead have been studied by UV–Vis spectrophotometry and verified by inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). FTIR and zeta potential studies have also been carried out to explore this novel biosorption potential. Results are conclusive and promising. Moreover, this particular SEPS alone can remediate all these three toxic heavy metals in water. For futuristic applications, it might be a prospective and cost-effective resource for bioremediation of toxic heavy metals in aqueous environment.

在全球范围内，被工业废水污染的水体中重金属累积毒性的潜在危险是环保主义者非常关注的问题。铅、镉和镍等重金属对此负有特别责任。这种有毒的水不仅对人体健康有害，而且对水生动物也有害。物理化学技术正在采取补救措施，但其中大多数既不环保也不符合成本效益。诸如活细菌对重金属的生物积累等生物手段通常是乏味的。在本研究中，Ochrobactrum pseudintermedium 的表面活性剂胞外多糖 (SEPS) 成功地加速了重金属的生物吸附C1 作为一种简单、安全且经济上可持续的选择，它利用了糖蜜提取物等易于获得且具有成本效益的基质。其在生物修复镉、镍和铅等有毒重金属方面的功效已通过紫外-可见分光光度法进行了研究，并通过电感耦合等离子体-原子发射光谱 (ICP-AES) 进行了验证。还进行了 FTIR 和 zeta 电位研究，以探索这种新型的生物吸附潜力。结果是决定性的和有希望的。此外，仅这种特殊的 SEPS 就可以修复水中的所有这三种有毒重金属。对于未来的应用，它可能是一种具有前瞻性且具有成本效益的资源，可用于水环境中有毒重金属的生物修复。