Use of Alteromonas sp. Ni1-LEM Supernatant as a Cleaning Agent for Reverse-Osmosis Membranes (ROMs) from a Desalination Plant in Northern Chile Affected by Biofouling.

Biofouling refers to the undesirable growth of microorganisms on water-submerged surfaces. Microfouling, the initial state of biofouling, is characterized by aggregates of microbial cells enclosed in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs). In seawater desalination plants, filtration systems, such as reverse-osmosis membranes (ROMs), are affected by microfouling, which decreases their efficiency in obtaining permeate water. The existing chemical and physical treatments are expensive and ineffective; therefore, controlling microfouling on ROMs is a considerable challenge. Thus, new approaches are necessary to improve the current ROM cleaning treatments. This study demonstrates the application of Alteromonas sp. Ni1-LEM supernatant as a cleaning agent for ROMs in a desalination seawater plant in northern Chile (Aguas Antofagasta S.A.), which is responsible for supplying drinking water to the city of Antofagasta. ROMs treated with Altermonas sp. Ni1-LEM supernatant exhibited statistically significant results (p < 0.05) in terms of seawater permeability (Pi), permeability recovery (PR), and the conductivity of permeated water compared with control biofouling ROMs and those treated with the chemical cleaning protocol applied by the Aguas Antofagasta S.A. desalination plant.

Characterization and removal of biofouling from reverse osmosis membranes (ROMs) from a desalination plant in Northern Chile, using Alteromonas sp. Ni1-LEM supernatant.

Biofouling control in reverse osmosis membranes (ROMs) is challenging due to the high cost of treatments, and reduction in the life of ROMs. This study characterizes the biofouling in the ROMs from a desalination plant and reports its effective removal using the supernatant obtained from Alteromonas sp. strain Ni1-LEM. The characterization of the bacterial community revealed that the most abundant taxa in ROMs were the genera Fulvivirga and Pseudoalteromonas, and unclassified species of the families Flavobacteriaceae and Sphingomonadaceae. This bacterial community significantly decreased upon treatment with the supernatant from Alteromonas sp. Ni1-LEM, resulting in the prevalence of the genus Pseudoalteromonas. Furthermore, this bacterial supernatant significantly inhibited cell adhesion of seven benthic microalgae isolated from ROMs as well as promoting cell detachment of the existing microbial biofilms. The study showed that the extracellular supernatant modified the conformation of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in the biofouling of ROMs without any biocidal effects.

Transcriptomic and cellular response to bacterial challenge (pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus) in farmed juvenile Haliotis rufescens fed with or without probiotic diet.

The abalone production in Chile has increased considerably in recent years with no sign of tapering off. Open and semi-closed circuits in the marine water zones in the north and south of Chile are the preferred areas of culture. Coastal ecosystems are subjected to a wide variety of contaminants that generate stress that affects populations via their impacts to individuals at both physiological and genetic levels. This work investigated the genomic and cellular response of post-weaning juvenile Haliotis rufescens abalone under hatchery conditions, fed with probiotic diets, and subsequently challenged with Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The expression patterns of 16 selected genes associated with different metabolic pathways were analyzed using Real-Time PCR. Gene expression was then compared to immunological response parameters in the abalone and quantification of V. parahaemolyticus during the experimental period. Both transcriptomic and immunological analyses indicated significant alteration of physiological processes in H. rufescens correlated to exposure to the pathogenic bacteria, as well as to probiotic nutrition.

Identification of genes expressed in juvenile Haliotis rufescens in response to different copper concentrations in the north of Chile under controlled conditions.

This study reports molecular markers potentially associated with resistance or sensitivity to the impact of copper in juvenile red abalone, Haliotis rufescens, in the north of Chile under experimental conditions. Genomic analysis was made applying subtractive hybridization libraries (SSH) to identify genes up-and down regulated during cooper exposure in abalone over periods of 12 and 168 h exposed to 2.5 and 10 µg/L of Cu(+2). Results obtained from the SSH library revealed 368 different sequences regulated by copper, that correspond to eight major physiological functions. The validation of these sequences obtained by SSH as well as their expression kinetics were made by PCR in real time on 14 potential genes regulated by metal stress. This study provides information for the characterization of potential genomic markers that may be used in future environmental monitoring and to investigate new mechanisms of stress to copper in this commercially important marine species.

Inhibition of attachment of some fouling diatoms and settlement of Ulva lactuca zoospores by film-forming bacterium and their extracellular products isolated from biofouled substrata in Northern Chile

The biofouling of surfaces submerged in the marine environment includes primary colonization of the substrate by microorganisms including bacteria, microalgae, and microscopic reproductive propagules of macroorganisms such as algal zoospores. The present study reports the evaluation of the inhibitory potential of biofilms and extracellular products (EP) of the indigenous bacterium Alteromonas sp strain Ni1-LEM on the settlement of marine biofouling such as: (i) eight marine benthic diatoms and (ii) zoospores of the alga Ulva lactuca, as well as the germination of these zoospores and was compared with reference strains with proven antifouling properties, Halomonas marina (ATCC 25374) and Pseudoalteromonas tunicata. Highest antifouling activity was found for the indigenous strain. In attempts to better define the chemical nature of the antifouling substance in the EP of the Alteromonas sp strain Ni1-LEM, the culture filtrates were tested for activity after heat treatment, enzymatic treatments, dialysis through semipermeable membranes, and separation into polar (aqueous) and non-polar (organic) fractions. The results suggested that the antifouling substance in the culture filtrates to be protein or peptide in nature, thermostable, hydrophilic, and equal to or greater than 3500 daltons in molecular size. Antifouling substances from bacteria may lead to the development of novel antifouling agents in the future.