Removal of a reactive dye and hexavalent chromium by a reusable bacteria attached electrospun nanofibrous web

A contaminant resistant Lysinibacillus sp. NOSK was isolated from a soil sample and its Reactive Black 5 (RB5) and Cr(vi) removal efficiencies were investigated as a function of changes in the initial pH values, temperature, static/shaking conditions, reactive dye and Cr(vi) concentrations. In this study, an electrospun polysulfone nanofibrous web (PSU-NFW) was found to be effective in attachment of bacterial cells. Bacteria attached PSU-NFWs (bacteria/PSU-NFW) have shown highly efficient removal of RB5, as 99.7 ± 0.9% and 35.8 ± 0.4% for the pristine PSU-NFW. Moreover, the highest Cr(vi) removal efficiencies measured were 98.2 ± 0.6% for bacteria attached PSU-NFW and 32.6 ± 0.6% for the pristine PSU-NFW. Simultaneous removal of RB5 and Cr(vi) were also investigated. Reusability test results indicate that, bacteria/PSU-NFW can be reused for at least 7 cycles with 28.1 ± 0.6% and 66.7 ± 0.8% removal efficiencies for RB5 and Cr(vi), respectively. © Royal Society of Chemistry 2015