ENHANCED HEAVY-METAL IMMOBILIZATION BY A BACTERIAL-CHITOSAN COMPLEX IN SOIL

Soil contaminated with heavy metals (e.g., Pb2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+) was t reated with aminopoly-saccharide chitosan alone or a strain of the bac terium Bacillus subtilis to determine their effects on metal ion accum ulations. Phosphatase and Chitosanase production were also assayed. Th e combined bacterial-chitosan treatment showed the greater accumulatio n of Zn2+ followed by Cu2+ as compared to single treatments, while Pb2 + did not show a marked accumulation by either single or combined trea tments.