In this study Pseudomonas aeruginosa a metal tolerant strain was not only applied for heavy metal removal but also to the solublization performance of the precipitated metal ions during effluent treatment. The synergistic effect of the isolate and Fe enhanced the metal removal potential to 72.97% and 87.63% for Cr(VI) and cadmium, respectively. The decrease in cadmium ion removal to 43.65% (aeration + stirring reactors), 21.33% (aerated reactors), and 18.95% (without aerated + without stirring) with an increase in incubation period not only indicate the presence of soluble less toxic complexes, but also help in exploration of the balancing potential for valuable metal recovery. A relatively best fit and significant values of the correlation coefficient 0.912, 0.959, and 0.9314 for mixed effluent (Paint Industry effluent + CETP Wazirpur, effluent), CETP, Wazirpur, and control effluents, respectively, indicating first-order formulation and provide a reasonable description of COD kinetic data. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.