Wheat husk-based sorbent as an economical solution for removal of oil spills from sea water.

Oil spills are a significant threat to the marine ecosystem that requires immediate removal from the oceanic environment. Many technologies have been employed to clean up oil spills. Of these, adsorption has scored a prominent success due to the high efficiency, economic viability, environmental friendship, and ease of application. The utilization of agricultural waste to produce biosorbents have been considered as an ecofriendly and efficient approach for removing oil. Thus, a new low-cost oil adsorbent was prepared via esterification of the wheat straw (Str) with a hydrophobic benzoyl group, the resulting copolymer (Str-co-Benz) was characterized by FTIR, TGA, DSC, and SEM and used at laboratory scale. The oil spill cleanup process was conducted using a crude oil-natural seawater system under different adsorption conditions such as oil concentration, adsorbent dose, agitation time and speed. Equilibrium studies were performed to determine the capacity of the prepared materials for crude oil adsorption. Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models were used to describe the experimental isotherms. The reliability of the data was examined and evaluated via application of response surface methodology program. The results showed that oil adsorption followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model and fitted well with Langmuir model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 10.989 and 12.786 g/g for Str and (Str-co-Benz), respectively. Overall, the modified wheat husk is an effective platform for removing oil from marine ecosystems due to low cost, biodegradability, simple synthesis and fast removal. Moreover, the resulted solid can be used as a fuel in some industrial processes such as steam boilers and brick production incinerators.

Maximization of red pigment production from Streptomyces sp. LS1 structure elucidation and application as antimicrobial/antifouling against human pathogens and marine microbes.

BACKGROUND: Natural dyes are present in living organisms such as animals and plants and microorganisms such as fungi, bacteria, algae, and yeast. Pigments are fast and easy growth by using cheap components and do not effect by environmental conditions because they required some physical factors like heat, light, and pH and also they have many biotechnological applications such as medical and industrial needs. The natural pigments can act as antimicrobial agents and are used in drug manufacturing. Also, it can be used in the food industry as natural colorants instead of the synthetic colorants due to their safety on human health and low toxicity when emitted into the environment. RESULTS: A pigmented actinomycetes LS1 strain isolated from El Mahmoudia canal (sediment soil) located in Egypt was microscopically examined and identified as Streptomyces sp. by molecular approach. Extraction, purification, and characterization of produced red pigment metabolite like carotenoids related were established based on spectroscopic studies and comparing the data from the literature. Factors (nutritional and physical) influencing red pigmentation by this isolate were investigated through One Variable At Time (OVAT), and then, the optimal levels of the significant key variables were recorded. Also, the productivity yield reached 30 mg of dried purified pigment/gram dry weight. The biological activity of the red product was tested against Gram-positive and Gram-negative marine bacterial pathogens; the recorded antimicrobial activity is more prominent against (P. aeruginosa ATCC 9027, K. pneumoniae ATCC 13883, S. aureus ATCC 6538, B. subtilis ATCC 6633 and E. coli ATCC 10418) at nearly 0.07 mg mL-1 concentration. Also, the tested red pigment showed a positive antifouling activity (AF) against marine microbes; the activity increased by increasing the pigment concentrations from 1 to 3 mg mL-1. CONCLUSION: The present work focused on the optimization of culture conditions for the production of red pigment by Streptomyces sp. LS1; then, the antibacterial activity and antifouling activity of the produced pigments were tested.

Bioprocess development as a sustainable platform for eco-friendly alkaline phosphatase production: an approach towards crab shells waste management.

BACKGROUND: There are substantial environmental and health risks associated with the seafood industry's waste of crab shells. In light of these facts, shellfish waste management is critical for environmental protection against hazardous waste produced from the processing industries. Undoubtedly, improved green production strategies, which are based on the notion of "Green Chemistry," are receiving a lot of attention. Therefore, this investigation shed light on green remediation of the potential hazardous crab shell waste for eco-friendly production of bacterial alkaline phosphatase (ALP) through bioprocessing development strategies. RESULTS: It was discovered that by utilizing sequential statistical experimental designs, commencing with Plackett-Burman design and ending with spherical central composite design, and then followed by pH-uncontrolled cultivation conditions in a 7 L bench-top bioreactor, an innovative medium formulation could be developed that boosted ALP production from Bacillus licheniformis strain ALP3 to 212 U L-1. The highest yield of ALP was obtained after 22 h of incubation time with yield coefficient Yp/s of 795 U g-1, which was 4.35-fold higher than those obtained in the shake-flask system. ALP activity has a substantial impact on the volatilization of crab shell particles, as shown by the results of several analytical techniques such as atomic absorption spectrometry, TGA, DSC, EDS, FTIR, and XRD. CONCLUSIONS: We highlighted in the current study that the biovalorization of crab shell waste and the production of cost-effective ALP were being combined and that this was accomplished via the use of a new and innovative medium formulation design for seafood waste management as well as scaling up production of ALP on the bench-top scale.

A sustainable and effective bioprocessing approach for improvement of acid phosphatase production and rock phosphate solubilization by Bacillus haynesii strain ACP1.

There is indeed a tremendous increase in biotechnological production on a global scale, more and more innovative bioprocesses, therefore, require to perform ideally not only in a small lab- but also on large production scales. Efficient microbial process optimization is a significant challenge when accomplishing a variety of sustainable development and bioengineering application objectives. In Egypt's mines, several distinct types of rock phosphate (RP) are utilized as a source of phosphate fertilizers in agriculture. It is more ecologically beneficial to utilize RP bio-solubilization than acidulation. Therefore, this work aimed to strategically scale up the acid phosphatase (ACP) production and RP bio-solubilization by the newly-discovered Bacillus haynesii. The use of consecutive statistical experimental approaches of Plackett-Burman Design (PBD), and Rotatable Central Composite Design (RCCD), followed by pH-uncontrolled cultivation conditions in a 7 L bench-top bioreactor revealed an innovative medium formulation. These approaches substantially improved ACP production, reaching 207.6 U L-1 with an ACP yield coefficient Yp/x of 25.2 and a specific growth rate (µ) of 0.07 h-1. The metals Na, Li, and Mn were the most efficiently released from RP during the solubilization process by B. haynesii. The uncontrolled pH culture condition is the most suitable setting for simultaneously improving the ACP and organic acids production. The most abundant organic acid produced through the cultivation process was lactic acid, followed by glutamic acid and hydroxybenzoic acid isomer. The findings of TGA, DSC, SEM, EDS, FTIR, and XRD analysis emphasize the significant influence of organic acids and ACP activity on the solubilization of RP particles.

Biovalorization of raw agro-industrial waste through a bioprocess development platform for boosting alkaline phosphatase production by Lysinibacillus sp. strain APSO.

This study highlighted the exploitation of mathematical models for optimizing the growth conditions that give the highest phosphatase productivity from a newfound Lysinibacillus sp. strain APSO isolated from a slime sample. Mathematical models facilitate data interpretation and provide a strategy to solve fermentation problems. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) throughput was enhanced by 16.5-fold compared to basal medium based on a sequential optimization strategy that depended on two-level Plackett-Burman design and central composite design. The additional improvement for volumetric productivity and specific production yield was followed in a 7 L bench-top bioreactor to evaluate microbial growth kinetics under controlled and uncontrolled pH conditions. The pH-controlled batch cultivation condition neither supported cell growth nor enhanced ALP productivity. In contrast, the uncontrolled pH batch cultivation condition provided the highest ALP output (7119.4 U L-1) and specific growth rate (µ = 0.188 h-1) at 15 h from incubation time, which was augmented > 20.75-fold compared to the basal medium. To the authors' knowledge, this study is the second report that deals with how to reduce the production cost of the ALP production process via utilization of agro-industrial waste, such as molasses and food waste (eggshell), as a nutrimental source for the improvement of the newfound Lysinibacillus sp. strain APSO ALP throughput.

Bioprocess development for biosorption of cobalt ions and Congo red from aquatic mixture using Enteromorpha intestinalis biomass as sustainable biosorbent.

Because of the increased amount of cobalt and Congo red dye effluents attributable to the industrial operations, the capacity of Enteromorpha intestinalis biomass as a sustainable source to achieve significant biosorption percent for both pollutants from dual solution was assessed. A fifty batch FCCCD experiments for biosorption of cobalt ions and Congo red dye were performed. The complete removal of Congo red dye was obtained at 36th run using an initial pH value of 10, 1.0 g/L of Enteromorpha intestinalis biomass, 100 and 200 mg/L of Congo red and cobalt for a 20-min incubation time. Meanwhile, a cobalt removal percent of 85.22 was obtained at 35th run using a neutral pH of 7.0, 3.0 g/L of algal biomass, 150 and 120 mg/L of Congo red, and cobalt for a 60-min incubation time. For further illustration and to interpret how the biosorption mechanism was performed, FTIR analysis was conducted to inspect the role of each active group in the biosorption process, it can be inferred that -OH, C-H, C=O, O-SO3- and C-O-C groups were mainly responsible for Co2+ adsorption of from aqueous dual solution. Also, scan electron microscope revealed the appearance of new shiny particles biosorbed on E. intestinalis surface after the biosorption process. EDS analysis proved the presence of Co2+ on the algal surface after the biosorption process.

Dynamic consolidated bioprocessing for innovative lab-scale production of bacterial alkaline phosphatase from Bacillus paralicheniformis strain APSO.

To meet the present and forecasted market demand, bacterial alkaline phosphatase (ALP) production must be increased through innovative and efficient production strategies. Using sugarcane molasses and biogenic apatite as low-cost and easily available raw materials, this work demonstrates the scalability of ALP production from a newfound Bacillus paralicheniformis strain APSO isolated from a black liquor sample. Mathematical experimental designs including sequential Plackett-Burman followed by rotatable central composite designs were employed to select and optimize the concentrations of the statistically significant media components, which were determined to be molasses, (NH4)2NO3, and KCl. Batch cultivation in a 7-L stirred-tank bioreactor under uncontrolled pH conditions using the optimized medium resulted in a significant increase in both the volumetric and specific productivities of ALP; the alkaline phosphatase throughput 6650.9 U L-1, and µ = 0.0943 h-1; respectively, were obtained after 8 h that, ameliorated more than 20.96, 70.12 and 94 folds compared to basal media, PBD, and RCCD; respectively. However, neither the increased cell growth nor enhanced productivity of ALP was present under the pH-controlled batch cultivation. Overall, this work presents novel strategies for the statistical optimization and scaling up of bacterial ALP production using biogenic apatite.

Partial purification and biochemical characterization of a new highly acidic NYSO laccase from Alcaligenes faecalis.

BACKGROUND: Due to the multitude industrial applications of ligninolytic enzymes, their demands are increasing. Partial purification and intensive characterization of contemporary highly acidic laccase enzyme produced by an Egyptian local isolate designated Alcaligenes faecalis NYSO were studied in the present investigation. RESULTS: Alcaligenes faecalis NYSO laccase has been partially purified and intensively biochemically characterized. It was noticed that 40-60% ammonium sulfate saturation showed maximum activity. A protein band with an apparent molecular mass of ~ 50 kDa related to NYSO laccase was identified through SDS-PAGE and zymography. The partially purified enzyme exhibited maximum activity at 55 °C and pH suboptimal (2.5-5.0). Remarkable activation for enzyme activity was recognized after 10-min exposure to temperatures (T) 50, 60, and 70 °C; time elongation caused inactivation, where ~ 50% of activity was lost after a 7-h exposure to 60 °C. Some metal ions Cu2+, Zn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Mn2+, Cd2+, Cr2+, and Mg2+ caused strong stimulation for enzyme activity, but Fe2+ and Hg2+ reduced the activity. One millimolar of chelating agents [ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), sodium citrate, and sodium oxalate] caused strong activation for enzyme activity. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), cysteine-HCl, dithiothreitol (DTT), ß-mercaptoethanol, thioglycolic acid, and sodium azide caused strong inhibition for NYSO laccase activity even at low concentration. One millimolar of urea, imidazole, kojic acid, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), H2O2, and Triton X-100 caused activation. The partially purified NYSO laccase had decolorization activity towards different dyes such as congo red, crystal violet, methylene blue, fast green, basic fuchsin, bromophenol blue, malachite green, bromocresol purple eriochrome black T, and Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250 with various degree of degradation. Also, it had a vast range of substrate specificity including lignin, but with high affinity towards p-anisidine. CONCLUSION: The promising properties of the newly studied laccase enzyme from Alcaligenes faecalis NYSO strain would support several industries such as textile, food, and paper and open the possibility for commercial use in water treatment. It will also open the door to new applications due to its ligninolytic properties in the near future.