Evaluación de la capacidad biorremediadora de bacterias antárticas en la remoción de mercurio total

Abstract

Mercury contamination poses a threat to ecosystems due to its toxicity, persistence, and bioaccumulation capacity. The project aims to evaluate the bioremediation capacity of Antarctic bacteria to remove total mercury under low-temperature conditions, based on the hypothesis that these microorganisms, adapted to extreme environments, maintain resistance mechanisms that allow them to reduce the metal's concentration. The research is justified by the need for sustainable biotechnological alternatives that complement physicochemical remediation methods. The bioassay was conducted in trypticase soy broth (TSB), using Erlenmeyer flasks with 50 ml of medium supplemented with different mercury concentrations (0 ppm, 0.01 ppm, 0.25 ppm, and a higher level of 1 ppm). They were incubated at 4°C and 12°C for 16 days, with sampling on days 0, 3, 6, 9, 13, and 16. The samples were processed using a Milestone DMA-80 analyzer to determine mercury in biomass and supernatant. The results showed that the bacteria grew in the presence of mercury and were able to remove up to 64.1% at 4°C and up to 57.8% at 12°C, demonstrating bioaccumulation. It is concluded that Antarctic bacteria have high potential as mercury bioremediation agents in cold environments, with prospects for application in vulnerable ecosystems. Keywords: Bioaccumulation, Resistant Bacteria, Vulnerable Ecosystems, Total Mercury.