In the era of industrialization, many industries produced heavy metal contaminants in large amounts, which is a big challenge for researchers to remove these contaminants from the environment (soil and water). We examined the metal biosorption potential of identified bacterial strains (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus), fungal strains (Aspergillus Niger and Candida albicans), Parthenium Hysterophorus plant extract, and Spirogyra sp. in marble industrial wastewater. Atomic absorption spectroscopy analyzed the heavy metals identification and quantification. The concentration of metals in wastewater was 8.568 mg/l Chromium, 5.053 mg/l Lead, 0.269 mg/l Cadmium and 0.411 mg/l Copper. The biosorbent showed a higher removal efficiency for Chromium, Lead, Cadmium, and Copper biosorption. We also carried out different parameters' effects on biosorption in the current study, i.e., temperature, contact time, and pH. The optimum pH was 5 for both bacterial strains, 7 for Aspergillus Niger and 9 for Candida albicans, 10 for Parthenium Hysterophorus plant extract, and 8.4 for Spirogyra sp., showing the highest adsorption. The optimum temperature was 36°C for the selected bacterial and fungal strains and 40°C for plant extract. The optimal contact time was 21 days for all the biosorbents. Heavy metal is toxic when present in an increased amount in the environment. According to our study, a decrease in the heavy metal contaminants concentration is evidence that the toxicity of the heavy metals may also reduce. Heavy metals biosorption by Parthenium Hysterophorus plant and Spirogyra sp. is more desirable than bacteria and fungi because of their bioavailability, non-morbific, ease of cultivation, and eco-friendliness. The adsorption of each metal was rapid, which might be advantageous for large-scale remediation of polluted sites.

Keywords: Heavy metals, biosorption, bacterial and fungal strains, plant extract, Spirogyra sp., pH, temperature, and contact time