Isolation and characterization of common bacteria in the copper tailings of Kasese for bioremediation

Abstract

Heavy metal accumulation as a result of human activities is common throughout the world and it causes heavy metal accumulation within the ecosystem. Conventional methods of removal are common but quite expensive, slow and non specific. Hence need to resort to bioremediation which is the use of biological organisms in the cleanup of pollutants from the environment. Such organisms include all living organisms and other bacteria and fungi which have the ability to break down or absorb pollutants. The study was done in the Kasese tailings of Uganda by sampling polluted soils and subjecting them to laboratory tests to isolate and characterize common bacteria in these areas. The results showed different bacteria which have morphological and physiological characters capable of existing in these polluted sites. These bacteria included different varieties, A, B and C are suspected to be Bacillus Amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus Subtilis and Bacillus Cereus respectively, according to the physicochemical tests that were carried out. All these varieties have been shown to have potential for remediation by previous studies, and thus can potentially be used for cleanup of the site.