BACKGROUND: Bacterial strains belonging to the genus Bacillus, isolated from Cr- polluted soil (tannery sludge) were employed as consortium for Cr(III) removal from tannery effluents. Kaolin clay, a natural adsorbent, was used as supporting material for bacterial biofilm formation. The use of clay-supported bacterial biofilm has not previously been employed for the treatment of tannery effluents containing Cr(III) salt. RESULTS: Commercial tannery effluent containing 1000 ppm initial metal ion concentration was treated in stages. The initial Cr(III) concentration of 1000 ppm was brought down to 2 ppm, a permissible level for discharge, after the fourth stage. The bacterial isolates were found to be Bacillus subtilis VITSCCr01 and Bacillus cereus VITSCCr02 by 16s rRNA gene sequencing. Batch assay and confocal laser scanning microscopy results revealed the role of kaolin as a support material in biofilm formation. Best fit was obtained with the Freundlich adsorption isotherm. Themechanism of sorption was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). CONCLUSION: Cr(III) removal from tannery effluent using low cost adsorbents such as kaolin and bacteria proved to be effective for metal concentrations <= 1000 ppm; this is normally not possible using conventional treatment methods. This work has demonstrated feasible sorption of Cr(III), especially during post-tanning operations. (C) 2011 Society of Chemical Industry