E. cloacae KJ-46 and KJ-47 strains were isolated from an
environment contaminated with heavy metals. At 7.2 mg L1 lead,
high removal rates (68.1%) of Pb were observed with KJ-46,
following incubation for 48 h. In addition, identification of Pb
removal by KJ-46 and KJ-47 was performed by SEM and EDX
analyses, and this was confirmed as PbCO3 production. It appears
that microbial hydrolysis of urea results in fast production of
carbonate ions followed by precipitation of PbCO3 without any
calcium source. This can prove to be a good strategy for an effective,
efficient, and economic method for Pb bioremediation, and the
introduction of these indigenous bacteria could provide a potential
bioremediation process of contaminated soil without disturbing
the target environment.