Abstract
Electronic waste is an evolving source of harmful pollutants in our surrounding environments and considered to be perilous as it contains toxic metals such as chromium, cadmium, lead, mercury, zinc, and nickel in huge quantities. Heavy metals are harmful contaminants and accumulated in the environment due to various anthropogenic activities. The present study was conducted to isolate and characterize different heavy metal tolerant bacterial species, based on molecular techniques from soil contaminated by electronic waste. The contaminated soil samples were analyzed for various physicochemical properties such as pH, electrical conductivity, soil moisture, water holding capacity, organic carbon, organic matter, available phosphorus, total nitrogen, and potassium using standard procedures. The soil samples were found to contain a higher amount of different heavy metals such as copper, chromium, lead, iron, cadmium, and nickel. Serial dilution and spread plate techniques have been used for bacterial isolation. The identification and molecular characterization of isolated bacterial species were done by biochemical tests and 16S rRNA gene sequencing technique. The 16S rRNA sequencing analysis confirmed the presence of different bacterial species as, Micrococcus aloeverae, Kocuria turfanensis, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus jeotgali, Bacillus velezensis, and Bacillus haikouensis. The findings indicated that the e-waste dumping sites are the storehouse of elite bacterial species. The present research study offers a platform for systematic analysis of e-waste sites by microbial profiling that may help in the innovation of novel microorganisms of scientific importance and better biotechnological potential.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are also thankful to the Central University of Gujarat for providing the instrumentation facilities. The authors are also grateful to the Gujarat State Biotechnology Mission (GSBTM), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Gandhinagar, Government of Gujarat, India, for bacterial identification. The comments and suggestions by the reviewers have improved the quality of the research article. Hence the authors express heartfelt gratitude to the reviewers for their inputs.
Funding
The research work was supported by the University Grants Commission, New Delhi, India, under the scheme of Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship (F1-17.1/2014-15/RGNF-201415-SC-UTT-69661).
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Kumar, P., Fulekar, M.H., Hiranmai, R.Y. et al. 16S rRNA molecular profiling of heavy metal tolerant bacterial communities isolated from soil contaminated by electronic waste. Folia Microbiol 65, 995–1007 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-020-00808-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-020-00808-2