`Isolation and molecular identification of potential indigenous heavy metal tolerant bacteria from coal mine overburdened soil

Coal mining activities have led to significant environmental pollution, particularly in overburdened soil which is characterized by heavy metal stress and low nutrient availability. It consists of rock and soil material removed during coal extraction that represents a harsh habitat that supports resilient microbial communities adapted to survive under such extreme conditions. The present study focuses on the isolation and identification of culturable bacteria from overburden soil of the Samaleswari opencast mines, Odisha, India to access dominant bacterial populations. Standard isolation method was followed to obtain bacterial strains followed by molecular and phylogenetic analysis. Based on morphological and molecular analysis, the isolates were identified as Bacillus velezensis, Bacillus foraminis, and Bacillus subtilis. Phylogenetic analysis further confirmed their evolutionary relationships. The dominance of Bacillus species indicates their adaptability to coal mine environments. This study provides a site-specific baseline assessment of culturable bacterial diversity from an underexplored coal mining region. The identification of indigenous Bacillus species contributes to expanding the microbial database and provides a foundation for future research on heavy metal tolerance and bioremediation of mining-affected environments.