Chemical vs bio-mediated reduction of hexavalent chromium. An in-vitro study for soil and deep waters remediation

The removal of hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), from a water-sediment system has been studied in vitro in different condition of soil water saturation, in order to simulate different possible occurring real scenarios. Two different approaches have been compared: the bio-mediated and the chemical Cr(VI) reduction. In the first technique three organic nutrients have been tested: glucose, trehalose and β-cyclodextrin. For the chemical remediation reducing agents such as sodium sulphite, sodium metabisulphite and ascorbic acid were considered.