Isolation and Identification of Rhodopseudomanas Palustris from Homemade Photosynthetic Bacteria Solution and Their Efficacy in Wastewater Treatment

Lee, Jia Yee (2025) Isolation and Identification of Rhodopseudomanas Palustris from Homemade Photosynthetic Bacteria Solution and Their Efficacy in Wastewater Treatment. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

Text LEE JIA YEE_FULL TEXT.pdf Restricted to Registered users only Download (91MB)

Abstract

Photosynthetic bacteria (PSB) are recognized for their bioremediation capabilities in wastewater treatment through the degradation of organic pollutants, heavy metal absorption, and pH stabilization. This study investigates the efficacy of a homemade PSB solution in treating domestic and food industrial effluent. Rhodopseudomonas palustris was isolated from the PSB solution, and identification was conducted through genomic DNA extraction, PCR amplification, gel electrophoresis, and Sanger DNA sequencing to confirm its identity. The appropriate volume of PSB solution was added to both wastewater samples to assess their effects on the reductions of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), heavy metal content removal, and pH stabilization capabilities. Besides, Food Processing Bacteria (FPB) was used solely for wastewater treatment comparison. In domestic wastewater, PSB has significantly reduced COD from 252 ± 2.8868 to 122 ± 2.8868 mg/L and BOD from 255 ± 7.5 to 7.5 ± 0 mg/L over 8 days. In food industrial effluent, COD was reduced from 340 ± 2.8868 to 207 ± 2.8868 mg/L and BOD from 140 ± 4.3301 to 30 ± 0 mg/L. pH levels of wastewater also stabilized from 6.75 ± 0.0289 to 7.26 ± 0.01 in domestic wastewater and from 10.50 ± 0.01 to 4.52 ± 0.0058 in food industrial effluent. Besides, PSB treatment also demonstrated reduction concentrations of heavy metal Cu²⁺ from 0.9054 to 0.0310 ppm in domestic wastewater. These findings confirm the high potential of PSB as a sustainable, eco-friendly alternative to conventional wastewater treatments. Their adaptability to various wastewater types and significant reductions in pollutants highlight PSB's promise for large-scale applications in water quality management and environmental conservation. Keywords: Photosynthetic bacteria; bioremediation; BOD; COD; sustainable wastewater management