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Biofilms are assemblages of bacteria embedded within a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) attached to a substratum. The process of biofilm formation is a complex phenomenon regulated by the intracellular and intercellular signaling systems. Various secondary messenger molecules such as cyclic dimeric guanosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (c-di-GMP), cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cAMP), and cyclic dimeric adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (c-di-AMP) are involved in complex signaling networks to regulate biofilm development in several bacteria. Moreover, the cell to cell communication system known as Quorum Sensing (QS) also regulates biofilm formation via diverse mechanisms in various bacterial species. Bacteria often switch to the biofilm lifestyle in the presence of toxic pollutants to improve their survivability. Bacteria within a biofilm possess several advantages with regard to the degradation of harmful pollutants, such as increased protection within the biofilm to resist the toxic pollutants, synthesis of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) that helps in the sequestration of pollutants, elevated catabolic gene expression within the biofilm microenvironment, higher cell density possessing a large pool of genetic resources, adhesion ability to a wide range of substrata, and metabolic heterogeneity. Therefore, a comprehensive account of the various factors regulating biofilm development would provide valuable insights to modulate biofilm formation for improved bioremediation practices. This review summarizes the complex regulatory networks that influence biofilm development in bacteria, with a major focus on the applications of bacterial biofilms for environmental restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biofilm forming and heavy metal resistant marine bacterial strain Pseudomonas chengduensis PPSS-4 was isolated from the contaminated marine sediment of Paradip Port, Odisha, India. The strain showed biofilm formation up to 100 mg/L of multi-metal [Pb(II), Cr(VI), and Cd(II)] supplementation in the culture medium. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed aggregation of rod-shaped cells in the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix of biofilm. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) exhibited a higher nucleic acid to the α-polysaccharide ratio in the biofilm, and the observed thickness was ~21 µm. The metal uptake potential of biofilm culture was higher than planktonic culture both in single and multi-metal solutions. FESEM-EDS analysis revealed the sequestration of multi-metals by bacterial cells and biofilm-EPS. FTIR analysis of bacterial EPS further ensured the interaction of functional groups such as –OH, –NH, and P=O with the metal ions. The maximum removal of Pb, Cr, and Cd by the bacterial biomass was observed at 37°C within 4 h of contact time at pH 6, and 4% salinity for Pb and Cr, and 6% salinity for Cd. The present study revealed that the marine bacterium P. chengduensis PPSS-4 can remove multi-metals, and this bacterium could be efficiently utilized for the remediation of heavy metals in the contaminated environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rubber wastewater contains variable low pH with a high load of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorous, suspended solids, high biological oxygen demand (BOD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD). Ureolytic and biofilm-forming bacterial strains Bacillus sp. OS26, Bacillus cereus OS36, Lysinibacillus macroides ST13, and Burkholderia multivorans DF12 were isolated from rubber processing centres showed high urease activity. Microscopic analyses evaluated the structural organization of biofilm. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) matrix of the biofilm of the strains showed the higher abundance of polysaccharides and lipids which help in the attachment and absorption of nutrients. The functional groups of polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids present in EPS were revealed by ATR-FTIR and 1H NMR. A consortium composed of B. cereus OS36, L. macroides ST13, and B. multivorans DF12 showed the highest biofilm formation, and efficiently reduced 62% NH 3 , 72% total nitrogen, and 66% PO 4 3−. This consortium also reduced 76% BOD, 61% COD, and 68% TDS. After bioremediation, the pH of the remediated wastewater increased to 11.19. To reduce the alkalinity of discharged wastewater, CaCl 2 and urea were added for calcite reaction. The highest CaCO 3 precipitate was obtained at 24.6 mM of CaCl 2 , 2% urea, and 0.0852 mM of nickel (Ni2+) as a co-factor which reduced the pH to 7.4. The elemental composition of CaCO 3 precipitate was analyzed by SEM-EDX. XRD analysis of the bacterially-induced precipitate revealed a crystallinity index of 0.66. The resulting CaCO 3 precipitate was used as soil stabilizer. The precipitate filled the void spaces of the treated soil, reduced the permeability by 80 times, and increased the compression by 8.56 times than untreated soil. Thus, CaCO 3 precipitated by ureolytic and biofilm-forming bacterial consortium through ureolysis can be considered a promising approach for neutralization of rubber wastewater and soil stabilization. [Display omitted] • Biofilm-forming ureolytic bacterial consortia efficiently remediate rubber wastewater. • The pH of the wastewater was increased after bioremediation. • CaCl 2 and Ni2+ induced a high rate of calcium carbonate precipitation. • Calcium carbonate precipitate reduced the pH of the wastewater to a neutral level. • CaCO 3 precipitate treatment reduced permeability and increased compression of soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genetic basis and biochemical aspects of heavy metal endurance abilities have been precisely studied in planktonic bacteria; however, in nature, bacteria mostly grows as surface-attached communities called biofilms. A hallmark trait of biofilm is increased resistance to heavy metals compared with the resistance of planktonic bacteria. A proposed mechanism that contributes to this increased resistance is the enhanced expression of metal-resistant genes. bmtA gene coding for metallothionein protein is one such metal-resistant gene found in many bacterial spp. In the present study, lead (Pb) remediation potential of a biofilm-forming marine bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa N6P6 was explored. Biofilm-forming marine bacterium P. aeruginosa N6P6 possess bmtA gene and shows resistance towards many heavy metals, i.e., Pb, Cd, Hg, Cr, and Zn. The expression of metallothionein encoding gene bmtA is significantly high in 48-h-old biofilm culture (11. 4 fold) followed by 24-h-old biofilm culture of P. aeruginosa N6P6 (4.7 fold) (P < 0.05). However, in the case of planktonically grown culture of P. aeruginosa N6P6, the highest expression of bmtA gene was observed in 24-h-old culture. The expression of bmtA also increased significantly with increase in Pb concentration up to 800 ppm. CSLM analysis indicated significant reduction in the raw integrated density of biofilm-associated lipids and polysaccharides (PS) of P. aeruginosa N6P6 biofilm grown in Pb (sub-lethal concentration)-amended medium (P < 0.05), whereas no significant reduction was observed in the raw integrated density of EPS-associated protein. The role of bmtA gene as Pb(II)-resistant determinant was characterized by overexpressing the bmtA gene derived from P. aeruginosa N6P6 in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). ESI-MS and SDS-PAGE analyses validated the presence of 11.5-kDa MT protein isolated from Pb(II)-induced recombinant E. coli BL21(DE3) harboring bmtA gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing industrialization and anthropogenic activities have resulted in the release of a wide variety of pollutants into the environment including pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heavy metals. These pollutants pose a serious threat to human health as well as to the ecosystem. Thus, the removal of these compounds from the environment is highly important. Mitigation of the environmental pollution caused by these pollutants via bioremediation has become a promising approach nowadays. Actinobacteria are a group of eubacteria mostly known for their ability to produce secondary metabolites. The morphological features such as spore formation, filamentous growth, higher surface area to volume ratio, and cellular mechanisms like EPS secretion, and siderophore production in Actinobacteria render higher resistance and biodegradation ability. In addition, these bacteria possess several oxidoreductase systems (oxyR , catR , furA , etc.) which help in bioremediation. Actinobacteria genera including Arthrobacter , Rhodococcus , Streptomyces , Nocardia , Microbacterium , etc. have shown great potential for the bioremediation of various pollutants. In this review, the bioremediation ability of these bacteria has been discussed in detail. The utilization of various genera of Actinobacteria for the biodegradation of organic pollutants, including pesticides and PAHs, and inorganic pollutants like heavy metals has been described. In addition, the cellular mechanisms in these microbes which help to withstand oxidative stress have been discussed. Finally, this review explores the Actinobacteria mediated strategies and recent technologies such as the utilization of mixed cultures, cell immobilization, plant-microbe interaction, utilization of biosurfactants and nanoparticles, etc., to enhance the bioremediation of various environmental pollutants. [Display omitted] • Actinobacteria are industrially important bacteria with huge metabolic potential. • Actinobacteria can bioremediate various organic and inorganic pollutants. • Cellular mechanisms and metabolic pathways in Actinobacteria aid in bioremediation. • Genetic regulation in Actinobacteria provide tolerance towards the oxidative stress. • Adoption of efficient strategies can enhance the bioremediation by Actinobacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbes are the most fascinating group, with huge diversity devising myriad functional applications in the field of medicine, pharmaceuticals, environmental remediation, and industries. Quantitative and qualitative determination of biomolecules and microbial assisted phenomena by spectroscopy is a pioneer approach. It facilitates the study of atomic and molecular geometries, energy levels, chemical bonds, and interactions between molecules and microbes. It produces fingerprints of the microbial species serving to characterize, differentiate, and identify microorganisms, in both the environment and at single-cell level. Spectroscopy-based bioremediation techniques like Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy, force spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, photoemission spectroscopy, and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy have been very well represented and linked with the microbial applications. This review summarizes the traditional spectroscopic techniques used for the study of microbes and microbial-assisted products as well as illustrates its application in the field of microbial diversity and remediation. This will provide an outlook for the intricate characterization and dimension of microbes to be used for effective application in bioremediation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Nutrition and pollution stress stimulate genetic adaptation in microorganisms and assist in evolution of diverse metabolic pathways for their survival on several complex organic compounds. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are highly lipophilic in nature and cause adverse effects to the environment and human health by biomagnification through the food chain. Diverse microorganisms, harboring numerous plasmids and catabolic genes, acclimatize to these environmentally unfavorable conditions by gene duplication, mutational drift, hypermutation, and recombination. Genetic aspects of some major POP catabolic genes such as biphenyl dioxygenase ( bph), DDT 2,3-dioxygenase, and angular dioxygenase assist in degradation of biphenyl, organochlorine pesticides, and dioxins/furans, respectively. Microbial metagenome constitutes the largest genetic reservoir with miscellaneous enzymatic activities implicated in degradation. To tap the metabolic potential of microorganisms, recent techniques like sequence and function-based screening and substrate-induced gene expression are proficient in tracing out novel catabolic genes from the entire metagenome for utilization in enhanced biodegradation. The major endeavor of today's scientific world is to characterize the exact genetic mechanisms of microbes for bioremediation of these toxic compounds by excavating into the uncultured plethora. This review entails the effect of POPs on the environment and involvement of microbial catabolic genes for their removal with the advanced techniques of bioremediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both point and non-point sources increase the pollution status of mercury and increase the population of mercury-resistant marine bacteria (MRMB). They can be targeted as the indicator organism to access marine mercury pollution, besides utilization in bioremediation. Thus, sediment and water samples were collected for 2 years (2010-2012) along Odisha coast of Bay of Bengal, India. Mercury content of the study sites varied from 0.47 to 0.99 ppb irrespective of the seasons of sampling. A strong positive correlation was observed between mercury content and MRMB population ( P < 0.05) suggesting the utilization of these bacteria to assess the level of mercury pollution in the marine environment. Seventy-eight percent of the MRMB isolates were under the phylum Firmicutes, and 36 and 31 % of them could resist mercury by mer operon-mediated volatilization and mercury biosorption, respectively. In addition, most of the isolates could resist a number of antibiotics and toxic metals. All the MRMB isolates possess the potential of growth and survival at cardinal pH (4-8), temperature (25-37 °C), and salinity (5-35 psu). Enterobacteria repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) and repetitive element palindromic PCR (REP-PCR) produced fingerprints corroborating the results of 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectral analysis also revealed strain-level speciation and phylogenetic relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased contamination of the environment with toxic pollutants has paved the way for efficient strategies which can be implemented for environmental restoration. The major problem with conventional methods used for cleaning of pollutants is inefficiency and high economic costs. Bioremediation is a growing technology having advanced potential of cleaning pollutants. Biofilm formed by various micro-organisms potentially provide a suitable microenvironment for efficient bioremediation processes. High cell density and stress resistance properties of the biofilm environment provide opportunities for efficient metabolism of number of hydrophobic and toxic compounds. Bacterial biofilm formation is often regulated by quorum sensing (QS) which is a population density-based cell–cell communication process via signaling molecules. Numerous signaling molecules such as acyl homoserine lactones, peptides, autoinducer-2, diffusion signaling factors, and α-hydroxyketones have been studied in bacteria. Genetic alteration of QS machinery can be useful to modulate vital characters valuable for environmental applications such as biofilm formation, biosurfactant production, exopolysaccharide synthesis, horizontal gene transfer, catabolic gene expression, motility, and chemotaxis. These qualities are imperative for bacteria during degradation or detoxification of any pollutant. QS signals can be used for the fabrication of engineered biofilms with enhanced degradation kinetics. This review discusses the connection between QS and biofilm formation by bacteria in relation to bioremediation technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A transgenic bacterium Bacillus cereus BW-03( p PW-05) was constructed by transforming a plasmid harbouring mer operon of a marine bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis PW-05 into another mercury resistant marine bacterium B. cereus BW-03 with mercury biosorption capability. The transformant was able to remove >99% of mercury supplement in-vitro by simultaneous volatilization (>53%) and biosorption (∼40%). Encapsulation of the transformant increased its mercury removal potential to almost 100%. Additionally, B. cereus BW-03( p PW-05) could resist wide variations of salinity (5–30 ppt), pH (Brierley et al., 1989; Chung et al., 1989; Chen and Wilson, 1997; Chakraborty and Das, 2014) and mercury (5–50 ppm) and survived in mercury contaminated simulated environment up to 7 days. –SH and –COOH groups were possibly involved for mercury biosorption under laboratory conditions. The potential for application of this transgenic bacterium for in-situ bioremediation was demonstrated in a microcosm experiment, where it removed 96.4% inorganic mercury synergistically with the normal microbiota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACTThe marine environment is the most dynamic and most variable among the natural environments present on the globe due to its continuously changing patterns of salinity, sea surface temperature, pH, and pressure. Thus, bacteria inhabiting this environment possess the inbuilt mechanisms of adaptation necessary in such fluctuating environmental conditions, and the harboring of heavy metal–resistant genes adds to their efficiency with regard to metal remediation compared with their terrestrial counterparts. Two highly mercury-resistant isolates, one from the marine environment and another from steel industry waste, were identified asBacillus thuringiensisPW-05 andBacillussp. SD-43, respectively, by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. When various characters of these two isolates, e.g., biochemical, morphological, antibiotic resistance, and tolerance to other heavy metals, were analyzed, they were found to share common features. However, the marineBacillusisolate (PW-05) was found to be more capable than its terrestrial counterpart in terms of mercury volatilization capability, i.e., 94.72% in the case of PW-05 and 60.06% in the case of SD-43. Hence, marine bacteria can be used more efficiently than their terrestrial counterparts for enhanced bioremediation of mercury in contaminated envi-ronments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Mercury exists naturally in small amounts in the environment as the sixteenth rarest element on earth. However, its level is rising due to industrialization and other anthropogenic activities such as the burning of coal and petroleum products, the use of mercurial fungicides in agriculture and the papermaking industry, and mercury catalysts in industries. Mercury-resistant bacteria harbor the mer operon in their genome. The mer operon includes certain functional genes along with promoter, regulator, and operator. The most common functional genes are merA and merB, which code for mercuric ion reductase and organomercurial lyase, respectively. The lyase is responsible for reducing highly toxic organomercurial compounds such as methylmercury and phenyl mercuric acetate into almost nontoxic volatile elemental mercury with the help of the enzyme reductase. When acting together in bacteria, merA and merB confer broad-spectrum mercury resistance. However, merA alone confers bacterial resistance to a narrow spectrum of inorganic mercury. This review discusses the importance of mercury-resistant bacteria harboring both merA and merB as potential agents in mercury bioremediation at highly polluted mercury-contaminated sites. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Bacteria are efficient, cost-effective adsorbents for heavy metal ions. • Different structures and components of bacteria aid in the metal uptake process. • Environmental parameters influence the metal uptake process. • Various kinetics and isotherm models are used to analyze the adsorption mechanism. • Regeneration of adsorbents is useful for several cycles of biosorption of metals. Heavy metal pollution caused due to the industrialization has been considered as a significant public health hazard, and these heavy metals exhibit various types of toxicological manifestations. Conventional remediation methods are expensive and also yield toxic by-products, which negatively affect the environment. Hence, a green technology employing various biological agents, predominantly bacteria, algae, yeasts, and fungi, has received more attention for heavy metal removal and recovery because of their high removal efficiency, low cost, and availability. However, bacterial biosorption is the safest treatment method for the toxic pollutants that are not readily biodegradable such as heavy metals. Metal biosorption by bacteria has received significant attention due to a safe, productive, and feasible technology for the heavy metal-containing wastewater treatment. These metal tolerating bacteria can bind the cationic toxic heavy metals with the negatively charged bacterial structures and live or dead biomass components. Due to the large surface area to volume ratio, these bacterial biomasses efficiently act as the biosorbent for metal bioremediation under multimetal conditions. This review summarizes the biosorption potentials of bacterial biomass towards different metal ions, cell wall constituent, biofilm, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in metal binding, and the effect of various environmental parameters influencing the metal removal. Suitable mathematical models of biosorption and their application have been discussed to understand and interpret the adsorption process. Furthermore, different desorbing agents and their utilization in heavy metals recovery and regeneration of biosorbent have been summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encapsulation of the transformant increased its mercury removal potential to almost 100%. Additionally, Bacillus cereus BW-03( p PW-05) could resist wide variations of salinity (5–30 ppt), pH (Brierley et al., 1989; Chung et al., 1989; Chen and Wilson, 1997; Chakraborty and Das, 2014) and mercury (5–50 ppm) and survived in mercury contaminated simulated environment up to 7 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are highly hydrated matrices produced by bacteria, containing various polymers such as polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, and DNA. Extracellular polymer concentrations, ions, and functional groups provide physical stability to the EPS. Constituents of EPS form the three-dimensional architecture and help acquire nutrition for the bacteria. Structural and functional diversity of the extracellular polymer depends on the specific glycosyltransferases, polymerase and transporter proteins. These enzymes are encoded by specific genes present in operons such as crd, alg, wca, and gum reported in Agrobacterium, Pseudomonas , Enterobacteriaceae , and Xanthomonas. The operons regulate the biosynthesis of extracellular polymers such as curdlan, alginate, colonic acid, and xanthan, respectively. Various functional groups in the EPS, such as carbonyl, hydroxyl, phosphoryl, and amide, provide the sorption site for interaction with environmental pollutants. Hydrophobic interactions and coordinate bonds mainly dominate the binding of EPS with environmental pollutants. EPS binds, emulsifies, and solubilizes the organic compounds, enhancing the degradation process. EPS binds with heavy metals through complexation, surface adsorption, precipitation, and ion exchange mechanisms. The biodegradability efficiency and nontoxicity properties of EPS make it an excellent biopolymer for decontaminating environmental pollutants. This review summarizes an overview of the biosynthetic mechanisms and interaction of the bacterial extracellular polymer with environmental pollutants. Interaction mechanisms of pollutants with EPS and EPS-mediated bioremediation will help develop removal applications. Moreover, understanding the genes responsible for EPS production, and implementation of new genetic methodology can be helpful for the enhanced biosynthesis of EPS to control pollution by sequestrating more environmental pollutants. [Display omitted] • EPS are biopolymeric matrices that attribute structure and stability to biofilm. • Extracellular polysaccharides are major components of EPS. • Bacteria encode specific genes for the synthesis of extracellular polysaccharides. • The functional groups of EPS sequester environmental pollutants upon interaction. • Hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups form complex and degrade pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased tolerance to toxic pollutants and enhanced degradation capabilities of the bacterial biofilm is often attributed to the matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). This biopolymeric matrix provides structure, stability, and shelter to the cells within a biofilm and the major constituent of this matrix is exopolysaccharides. However, the role of EPS extends beyond offering protection to the bacterial cells under stress. Bacterial EPS exhibits a double-layered structure consisting of the loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS) and the tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS). Both these EPS layers interact with noxious environmental pollutants through emulsification, solubilization, binding, precipitation, complexation, and ion exchange. Different functional groups of EPS, such as carboxyl, amide, phosphoryl, and hydroxyl, are involved in the removal of toxic pollutants from contaminated environments. Biofilm-EPS participate in several remedial functions such as sequestration of heavy metals, emulsification of petroleum hydrocarbons, binding and solubilization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and sorption and degradation of dyes and pesticides. Thus, bacterial biofilm and EPS present an attractive solution for decontaminating heavily polluted environments. This review discusses a comprehensive account of biofilm physiology, EPS components, and synthesis mechanisms of exopolysaccharides. The interaction mechanisms of bacterial biofilm and EPS with pollutants have been discussed in detail, and the application of biofilm-forming bacteria and associated EPS in the bioremediation of the environment has been summarized. A deeper understanding of the bacterial biofilm and EPS-mediated pollutant removal will help develop technologies for field-scale applications. [Display omitted] • Bacterial biofilm exhibits increased tolerance to toxic environments. • EPS imparts functional and mechanical stability to the biofilm. • EPS-metal interaction occurs via complexation, precipitation and ion exchange. • Biofilm-EPS enhances the bioavailability of hydrophobic pollutants to cells. • Commercialization of the technology is needed for large-scale applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercury (Hg) is a highly toxic element that occurs at low concentrations in nature. However, various anthropogenic and natural sources contribute around 5000 to 8000 metric tons of Hg per year, rapidly deteriorating the environmental conditions. Mercury-resistant bacteria that possess the mer operon system have the potential for Hg bioremediation through volatilization from the contaminated milieus. Thus, bacterial mer operon plays a crucial role in Hg biogeochemistry and bioremediation by converting both reactive inorganic and organic forms of Hg to relatively inert, volatile, and monoatomic forms. Both the broad-spectrum and narrow-spectrum bacteria harbor many genes of mer operon with their unique definitive functions. The presence of mer genes or proteins can regulate the fate of Hg in the biogeochemical cycle in the environment. The efficiency of Hg transformation depends upon the nature and diversity of mer genes present in mercury-resistant bacteria. Additionally, the bacterial cellular mechanism of Hg resistance involves reduced Hg uptake, extracellular sequestration, and bioaccumulation. The presence of unique physiological properties in a specific group of mercury-resistant bacteria enhances their bioremediation capabilities. Many advanced biotechnological tools also can improve the bioremediation efficiency of mercury-resistant bacteria to achieve Hg bioremediation. [Display omitted] • Hg is a global pollutant, which has adverse effects on human health. • Mercury-resistant bacteria harbour genes for Hg resistance and detoxification. • mer operon system is diversified in various bacteria. • Biogeochemical cycling of Hg depends upon its chemical speciation. • Transgenic bacteria and plants with mer determinants potentially remove Hg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid industrialization and anthropogenic activities have produced huge amount of noxious Cr(VI), which accumulate in the soil for longer period. As a consequence, that decreases rice plant productivity in contiguous agricultural field of Sukinda mining area, Odisha. Thus, the high Cr(VI) resistant native bacterial strain CTWI-06 was selected for the study, which depicted resistance to 3500 ppm of Cr(VI) and wide array of other metals. Under optimized condition, the multi-metal resistant bacteria reduced 94% Cr(VI) within 92 h and Cr(VI) reduction was confirmed by FTIR and XRD analysis. Plant growth promoting traits like N 2 fixation; phosphate (146.87 ppm), potassium (12.55 ppm) and Zn solubilization; ammonification; IAA production (114 μg mL−1) and suppression of fungal phytopathogens such as Rhizoctonia solani (ITCC 2060) and Phytium debaryanum (ITCC 5488) were also recorded. The bacterial strain was identified as Enterobacter cloacae CTWI-06 by 16S rDNA sequence (Accession No. MG757378). It significantly improved growth traits as well as productivity of Mahalakshmi rice variety in pot culture. Thus, the potential Cr(VI) reducing and PGPB strain may be utilized for long term bioremediation of Cr(VI) in chromium contaminated soil and to maintain soil fertility. • Explored a Cr(VI) reducing and PGPB from chromium contaminated soil. • Cr(VI) contamination of soil was confirmed from SEM–EDX and AAS analysis. • Enterobacter cloacae CTWI-06 reduces 94% of Cr(VI) within 92 h in presence of iron. • Cr(VI) reduced product was characterized by FT-IR and XRD. • The bacterial strain significantly improved rice plant growth and productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]