Chromium VI (CrVI) is one of the highly toxic heavy metals. It is widely used in a
number of industries like metallurgical, electroplating, paints, pigments, inks,
fungicides and photography. It enters into the natural water bodies through the
industrial effluents creating water pollution. In trace amounts it is useful for some of
the metabolic activities like glucose, lipid, aminoacids and nucleic acid. However at
higher concentration it becomes toxic for microbes, plants and humanbeings and
causes a number of serious diseases. Therefore its removal from waste water is
considered to be very important. In the present article chromium removal from waste
water using bacteria by biosorption, reduction and transport was reviewed. Published
literature suggests that immobilized, free and living cells, their extracellular
metabolites even dead bacterial biomass play an important role in chromium removal
from waste water. Reduction of Cr (VI) is one of the important mechanisms for its
detoxification from waste water.It was shown by the work published so far that
chromium reduction was carried out by aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and iron and
sulphate reducing bacteria. pH inside the bacterial cells plays an important role in the
reduction of Cr (VI). Review of literature suggests that different factors like pH,
temperature, redox potential and presence of other metals play an important role in the
removal of Cr (VI) from waste water using bacteria. We have carried out work in our
laboratory on Cr (VI) uptake from waste water by Bacillus mycoides and the results
obtained are also discussed in this communication.