Biosorption of lead and copper by heavy-metal tolerant Micrococcus luteus DE2008

► Micrococcus luteus DE2008 is capable of absorbing lead and copper. ► There is an inverse correlation between biomass and viability of M. luteus DE2008 and metal concentration. ► Copper has a greater toxic effect than lead on M. luteus DE2008. ► M. luteus DE2008 could be considered for bioremediation of lead-contaminated environments. Micrococcus luteus DE2008 has the ability to absorb lead and copper. The effect of these metals on biomass and viability of this microorganism were investigated and removal of the metals from culture media was determined. Lead had no effect on the biomass expressed as mg Carbon/cm3 of M. Iuteus DE2008, but in the case of copper, the minimum metal concentration that affected the biomass was 0.1mM Cu(II). According to these results this microorganism shows a greater tolerance for lead. The minimum metal concentration that affected viability (expressed as the percentage of live cells) was 0.5mM for both metals. M. luteus DE2008 exhibited a specific removal capacity of 408mg/g for copper and 1965mg/g for lead. This microorganism has a greater ability to absorb Pb(II) than Cu(II). M. luteus DE2008 could be seen as a microorganism capable of restoring environments polluted by lead and copper.