Biosorption of Chromium from Leather Tanning Industry Effluent

Tanning industry is one of the oldest industries in the world. It is typically characterized as pollutants generated industries which produce wide varieties of high strength toxic chemicals. It is a very serious threat to the environment. Large quantity of water is used in tanning process of which 90% of the water is discharged as effluent. During the chrome tanning process 40% unused chromium salts are usually discharged, which causes a serious threat to the environment. Exposure to Chromium increase the risk of dermatitis,lung cancer etc., Microbial treatment systems have advantage of being simple in design and low in cost. Fungi, their biology,economic value and pathogenic capabilities are known to human society. The enzymes produced by fungi helps in detoxification of the industrial effluents. Therefore in this study chromium present in the leather tanning industry effluent are allowed to treat for biosorption of chromium by using the fungi Aspergillus flavus.