Enhanced degradation of petrol (Slovene diesel) in an aqueous system by immobilized Pseudomonas fluorescens

Biodegradation of benzo[a]pyrene in soil by Mucor sp. SF06 and Bacillus sp. SB02 co-immobilized on vermiculite

Two indigenous microorganisms, Bacillus sp. SB02 and Mucor sp. SF06, capable of degrading polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were co-immobilized on vermiculite by physical adsorption and used to degrade benzo[a] pyrene (BaP). The characteristics of BaP degradation by both free and co-immobilized microorganism were then investigated and compared. The removal rate using the immobilized bacterial-fungal mixed consortium was higher than that of the freely mobile mixed consortium. 95.3% of BaP was degraded using the co-immobilized system within 42 d, which was remarkably higher than the removal rate of that by the free strains. The optimal amount of inoculated co-immobilized system for BaP degradation was 2%. The immobilized bacterial-fungal mixed consortium also showed better water stability than the free strains. Kinetics of BaP biodegradation by co-immobilized SF06 and SB02 were also studied. The results demonstrated that BaP degradation could be well described by a zero-order reaction rate equation when the initial BaP concentration was in the range of 10-200 mg/kg. The scanning electronic microscope (SEM) analysis showed that the co-immobilized microstructure was suitable for the growth of SF06 and SB02. The mass transmission process of co-immobilized system in soil is discussed. The results demonstrate the potential for employing the bacterial-fungal mixed consortium, co-immobilized on vermiculite, for in situ bioremediation of BaP.

Degradation of carbendazim and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid by immobilized consortium on loofa sponge

A fungicide, carbendazim (methyl-2-benzimidazole carbamate; MBC), and a herbicide, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), could be simultaneously degraded by a microbial consortium obtained from several soil samples in Japanese paddy fields with enrichment continuous culture. The degradation ability of the consortium was increased by immobilization on loofa (Luffa cylindrica) sponge in comparison with that of free-living consortium. MBC and 2,4-D were completely degraded within 5.5 d and 1.5 d, respectively. The toxicity of these pesticides in culture medium to Daphnia magna was reduced by treatment with the consortium corresponding to their degradation. The degradation ability of the immobilized consortium at pHs in the range from 6 to 9, at temperatures from 15 degrees C to 37 degrees C, and at low NH(4)(+)-N concentrations (1-10 mg/l) was not very different from that under the basal condition (pH 7, 30 degrees C, 424 mg/l NH(4)(+)-N and 472 mg/l PO(4)(3)(-)-P). At low pHs 4 and 5, the ability was significantly lower than that of the basal condition. Moreover, incubation at low PO(4)(3)(-)-P concentrations (1-10 mg/l) caused a decrease in pH at which the degradation ability also became lower. However, the ability in this culture completely recovered when pH was adjusted to 7 or the phosphate concentration was increased to the basal level. Analysis by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) showed the whole population of the consortium became faint at low pH or low phosphate concentrations but became distinct again as much as those under the basal conditions, indicating that the decrease in the degradation ability caused by low pH was due to that whole population of the consortium underwent serious damage but could survive and recover. These results suggest the immobilized consortium on loofa sponge is a promising material for bioremediation of polluted water with these pesticides in paddy fields.

Metabolic differences between attached and free-living marine bacteria: inadequacy of liquid cultures for describing in situ bacterial activity

Marinobacter sp. strain CAB was cultivated with or without porous glass beads as solid support. Two substrates were used: the hydrophilic sodium lactate and a hydrophobic C(18)-isoprenoid ketone (6,10,14-trimethylpentadecan-2-one (TMP)). The substrate adsorption onto the beads was measured. Bacterial adhesion was determined by a direct count technique and amounted to 70% of total cells. In the immobilised cell cultures (ICC), generation times were 1.5 and 1.8 times shorter than in the planktonic cultures (FCC) with sodium lactate and with TMP, respectively. In ICC, the growth yields were lower (15.3(FCC) x 10(9) and 0.8(ICC) x 10(9) bacteria mg(-1) of sodium lactate; 50(FCC) x 10(9) and 35(ICC) x 10(9) bacteria mg(-1) of TMP). The mineralisation of substrates was estimated after mass spectrometric determination of the CO2 production rates of both free and immobilised cell cultures. The results indicated a higher specific CO2 production rate in the ICC with sodium lactate (3.1(FCC)+/-0.2 and 3.5(ICC)+/-0.3 nmol CO2 mg(-1) protein min(-1)) but not in the ICC with TMP (1.9(FCC)+/-0.7 and 0.5(ICC)+/-0.3 nmol CO2 mg(-1) protein min(-1)). The affinities for the two substrates were lower in the presence of the solid support (K(m,ICC)=18.2+/-0.2 microM and 37.1+/-2.0 microM, for sodium lactate and TMP, respectively) than without support (K(m,FCC)=8.5+/-1.5 microM and 8.4+/-1.2 microM, for sodium lactate and TMP, respectively). Moreover, the presence of a solid support showed a lower inhibition by the TMP (K(i,FCC)=3.8+/-1.0 microM and K(i,ICC)=12.2+/-2.5 microM) which may explain why the immobilised cell cultures degraded hydrophobic TMP more efficiently than the planktonic cultures.