Biological synthesis and characterization of lead sulphide nanoparticles using bacterial isolates from heavy metal rich sites

ABSTRACT Lead is highly poisonous heavy metal (regardless if inhaled or swallowed), affecting almost every organ and system in the body. The main target for lead toxicity is the nervous system. Lead poisoning typically results from ingestion of food or water contaminated with lead; but may also occur after accidental ingestion of contaminated soil, dust, or lead-based paint. Bioremediation of lead by bacteria could be an effective measure to remove lead. This study involves the synthesis of lead sulphide nanoparticle using lead chloride and calcium sulphate salts utilizing bacterial strains isolated from the industrial sites of Allahabad and Kanpur. For synthesis, bacterial cell mass was centrifuged to separate supernatant from pellet. Both supernatant and cell pellet were challenged with lead chloride and calcium sulphate salts and lead sulphide nanoparticles were effectively synthesized. These extracellularly synthesized nanoparticles exhibited an absorbance maximum at 330 nm and were characterized using UV Visible spectrophotometer and Transmission Electron Microscope. The use of these strains seems to be promising and advantageous as it is serving dual purposes of (i) bioremediation and (ii) nanoparticle synthesis. These biologically synthesized nanoparticles could be used in various applications