Enhanced passivation of lead with immobilized phosphate solubilizing bacteria beads loaded with biochar/ nanoscale zero valent iron composite

Abstract Phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSBs) can effectively enhance the stability of lead via the formation of insoluble Pb-phosphate compounds. This research presents a bio-beads, which was implemented with the help of a self-designed porous spheres carrier, by immobilized PSBs strains Leclercia adecarboxylata (hereafter referred as L1-5). In addition, the passivation efficiency of lead via bio-beads under different conditions and its mechanism were also investigated in this study. The results indicated that phosphate solubilized by bio-beads could reach 30 mg/L in Ca3(PO4)2 medium containing 1 mM Pb2+, and the highest removal rate of Pb2+ in beef peptone liquid medium could reach 93%, which is better than that of free bacteria. Furthermore, it was also concluded that the lead could be transformed into stable crystal texture, such as Pb5(PO4)3Cl and Pb5(PO4)3OH. Both hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups in the bio-beads could capture Pb2+, which indicated that electrostatic attraction and ion-exchange were also the mechanism of Pb2+ adsorption. All the experimental findings demonstrated that this bio-bead could be consider as an efficient way for the lead immobilization in contaminated soil in the future.