Assessment of Mineral Accumulation by Lysinibacillus sphaericus from Restaurant Liquid Waste

Abstract

Presence of microorganisms and relatively high mineral contents mainly heavy metals in waste generated from restaurants and released into the environment may indicate a negative outcome of a microbial metabolic process with serious economic and health implications. Therefore it is justifiable to examine the minerals contents and microbial resistance/accumulation of restaurant liquid wastes with the view to controlling environmental hazard through the removal of pollutants in the waste products, hence this study. Restaurant wastewater are collected from washing dishes and waste collection tank, then mixed and analyzed for the presence and quantity of minerals contents. The physicochemical parameters such as metals, heavy metals and active ingredients of the waste were evaluated. The ability of Lysinibacillus sphaericus to accumulate the minerals was also examined.  The results showed that the sample was composed of magnesium (54.4 ± 0.10 mg/L), potassium (23.2 ± 0.01 mg/L), sodium (39.2 ± 0.02 mg/L), zinc (0.61± 0.01 mg/L), copper (0.08 ± 0.01 mg/L) and iron (31.6± 0.03 mg/L). The presence of high amount of some minerals in wastewater is an indication that the environment may be polluted if the wastewaters are released in an uncontrolled manner. Also, the ability of Lysinibacillus sphaericus to assimilate these suggests that the wastes offers favourable condition for microbial growth and are therefore very susceptible to bioaccumulation.