Heavy metal bug
is a bacterium that can supposedly carry a metal load that is equal to its own weight. Amazing, right? The bug, the common cyanobacterium Oscillatoria sp which has been isolated from Wazirabad Yamuna water, can scavenge as much as one gram of copper per gram dry weight at 120 ppm equilibrium concentration, say the scientists. They think that the bacterium might be an excellent candidate for developing copper absorbent as it selectively picks up copper even in cases where there are zinc and cobalt ions present. And since the bug picks up the metal through a simple ion exchange process, all that is needed to bring its load-carrying capacity back to normal is a wash in hard water, the scientists explain. Once dried, the non-growing biomass can easily be stored at 80
Related Content
- Order of the National Green Tribunal regarding pollution of Godavari river, Telangana, 29/05/2025
- Order of the National Green Tribunal regarding chromium dumps at Rania, Kanpur Dehat, Rakhi Mandi, Kanpur Nagar and Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh, 07/03/2025
- Joint committee report on crocodile deaths in Rajasthan river, 24/02/2025
- Order of the National Green Tribunal regarding presence of heavy metals in Delhi air, 06/02/2025
- Order of the National Green Tribunal in the disposal of industrial effluents Muzaffarnagar in storm water drain, Uttar Pradesh, 12/02/2024
- Report of 26 districts of Uttar Pradesh on steps taken to stop the pollution of river Ganga, 23/01/2024