ABSTRACT
This study investigated the factors influencing the simultaneous removal of Cd2+, NO3-N and hardness from water by the bacterial strain CN86. Optimum conditions were determined experimentally by varying the type of organic matter used, initial Cd2+ concentration, and pH. Under the optimum conditions, the maximum removal ratios of Cd2+, NO3-N and hardness were 100.00, 89.85 and 71.63%, respectively. The mechanism of Cd2+ removal is a combination of co-precipitation with calcium carbonate and pH. Further confirmation that Cd2+ can be removed by strain CN86 was provided by XRD and XPS analyses. Meteorological chromatography analysis showed that N2 was produced as an end product. These results demonstrate that the bacterial strain CN86 is a suitable candidate for simultaneously removing Cd2+, NO3-N, and hardness during in wastewater treatment.
