Bioremediation potential of Pseudomonas genus isolates from residual water, capable of tolerating lead through mechanisms of exopolysaccharide production and biosorption.

The mechanisms of tolerance to heavy metals used by some microorganisms identified by bioprospection processes are useful for the development and implementation of bioremediation strategies for contaminated environments with high toxic load caused by heavy metals. A total of seven native microbial isolates were obtained from wastewater bodies from an industrial zone in the municipality of Girardota, Antioquia, Colombia. Subsequently, they were selected to evaluate their lead tolerance capacity at different concentrations. In addition, some parameters were determined, such as the capacity to produce exopolysaccharides and their biosorption to understand potential mechanisms associated to lead tolerance. According to the biocehemical test (Vitek) and the molecular analysis of sequences of 16S rDNA, bacterial were identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas nitroreducens, and Pseudomonas alcaligenes. We determined that the seven isolates had the capacity to tolerate concentrations higher than 50 mg/ml of lead, and that the concentration and exposure time (40 h) to this metal significantly affect the Pseudomonas spp. isolates. Statistically significant differences were detected (p < 0.05) in the production of the exopolysaccharide (EPS) among the isolates. P. aeruginosa (P16) was the strain with the maximum absorbance exopolysaccharide measured. We evidenced that P. aeruginosa (P14) and P. nitroreducens (P20) have 80% capacity to biosorber lead using live mass (minimum range from 80.9% to 87%). It is suggested that the tolerance to lead exhibited by the environmental isolates of Pseudomonas spp. can be attributed to the production of exopolysaccharides and biosorption, which are protection factors for its survival in contaminated places. Finally, it was determined that the adsorption measured from dead biomass was significant (p < 0.05) from 40 h of exposure to metal (Average 182.2 ± 7). We generated new knowledge about the potential use of the Pseudomonas spp. genus to bioremediate affluent contaminated with heavy metals.

Closing the loop in a constructed wetland for the improvement of metal removal: the use of Phragmites australis biomass harvested from the system as biosorbent.

Among the numerous clean-up techniques for water treatment, sorption methods are widely used for the removal of trace metals. Phragmites australis is a macrophyte commonly used in constructed wetlands for water purification, and in the last decades, its use as biosorbent has attracted increasing attention. In view of a circularly economy approach, this study investigated improvement of trace metal removal by recycling the biomass of P. australis colonizing a constructed wetland, which operates as post-treatment of effluent wastewater from an activated sludge plant serving the textile industrial district of Prato (Italy). After the annual mowing of the reed plants, the biomass was dried and blended to derive a sustainable and eco-friendly biosorbent and its sorption capacity for Fe, Cu, and Zn was investigated comparing the batch system with the easier-to-handle column technique. The possibility of regeneration and reuse of the biosorbent was also evaluated. The biomaterial showed an interesting sorption capacity for Cu, Fe, and Zn, both in batch and in column experiments, especially for Fe ions. The immobilization of the biosorbent in column filters induced some improvement in the removal efficiency, and, in addition, this operation mode has the advantage of being much more suitable for practical applications than the batch process.

Dead bacterial biomass-assimilating bacterial populations in compost revealed by high-sensitivity stable isotope probing.

Pathogens are known to survive in compost and to regrow under the influence of certain factors, such as moisture content, temperature and nutrient availability. Dead biomass, by providing available nutrients, is a factor that may affect pathogen regrowth. However, the indigenous microorganisms, including pathogens, that grown on the dead biomass of compost have not yet been identified. Here, the regrowth potential of the pathogenic indicator bacterium Escherichia coli in the presence of dead bacterial biomass was determined, and the biomass metabolizers that grew competitively with E. coli were identified by high-sensitivity stable isotope probing of rRNA. Culture-dependent analysis indicated that the addition of dead bacterial biomass did not stimulate E. coli growth. High-throughput analysis of density-resolved 16S rRNA molecules from compost samples amended with carbon-13-labeled dead bacterial biomass revealed dead bacterial-assimilating bacteria, including Sphingobium sp., myxobacterial lineages and Bacillales. These bacteria are potentially competitive with pathogens due to their preferential assimilation of dead biomass in compost.

Biosorption and proteomic analysis of an encapsulated endophytic heavy-metal resistant Pestalotiopsis sp

Aims@#A study on biosorption ability using encapsulated endophytic fungi has been carried out to investigate its biosorption potential in removing heavy metals. Biosorption has emerged as an alternative bioremediation process to remove and sequester heavy metal ions from polluted water. An endophytic Pestalotiopsis sp. (isolated from Nypa fruticans) was found to be able to resist copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) up to 1,000 ppm and thus the aim of this study was to investigate the biosorption ability using encapsulated live and dead Pestalotiopsis sp. biomass (at pH 4-6) to remove heavy metals. Additionally, a proteomic study was conducted to investigate down- and up-regulation expression levels of proteins under the treatment of the heavy metals. @*Methodology and results@#Encapsulated live fungal biomass displayed higher efficiency in removing chromium at pH 5 and 6, while both encapsulated live and dead biomass were able to remove lead at pH 4 and 5 and copper at pH 5. Five (5) proteins of interest were identified via MALDI-ToF analysis. Among the proteins identified, multidrug resistance protein (MRP homolog) was up-regulated in the presence of lead. @*Conclusion, significance and impact of study@#The data obtained in this study provides an initial understanding of the biosorptive and defensive mechanisms of Pestalotiopsis sp. under heavy metal stress.

Dead biomass of Amazon yeast: A new insight into bioremediation and recovery of silver by intracellular synthesis of nanoparticles.

This investigation was undertaken to describe a natural process for the removal of silver and the simultaneous recovery of Ag/Ag2O nanoparticles by dead biomass of the yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. The removal of silver ions from aqueous solution and the synthesis of Ag/Ag2O nanoparticles were analyzed based on physicochemical factors and equilibrium concentration, combined with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). A successful process for the synthesis of Ag/Ag2O nanoparticles was obtained, following the Langmuir isotherm model, showing a high biosorption capacity of silver (49.0 mg g-1). The nanoparticles were spherical, had an average size of 11.0 nm, were synthesized intracellularly and capped by yeast proteins. This sustainable protocol is an attractive platform for the industrial-scale production of silver nanoparticles and of a silver nanobiosorbent.

Bioremediation from wastewater and extracellular synthesis of copper nanoparticles by the fungus Trichoderma koningiopsis.

This is the first study describing the rapid extracellular production of copper nanoparticles by dead biomass of Trichoderma koningiopsis. The production and uptake of copper nanoparticles by dead biomass of Trichoderma koningiopsis were characterized by investigating physicochemical factors, equilibrium concentrations and biosorption kinetics, combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A successful route for the metallic copper nanoparticles synthesis was achieved, and followed a Langmuir isotherm where a high biosorption capacity was observed, 21.1 mg g(-1). The kinetic analysis showed that copper biosorption followed a pseudo-second-order model. The nanoparticles mainly exhibited a spherical shape, with an average size of 87.5 nm, and were synthesized extracellularly. The presence of proteins as stabilizing agents of the nanoparticles was demonstrated. The extracellular biosynthesis and uptake of copper nanoparticles using dead fungal biomass is a low-cost green processes, and bioremediation of impacted local.

Reflectance of blue, green, red and near infrared radiation from wetland vegetation used in a model discriminating live and dead above ground biomass.

Field measurements of canopy reflectance of wetland vegetation in the blue (450 ran), green (548 nm), red (655 nm) and NIR (805 nm) wavebands were correlated with plant biomass variables. Negative relationships, asymptotic in nature, were observed between visible wavebands, canopy reflectance and total live biomass as well as green biomass, with correlation coefficients r between -0·52 and -0·93. Curvilinear relations were observed between NIR canopy reflectance and total live biomass as well as green biomass, with r between 0·39 and 0·88. Different normalization indices (NIR blue-1 , NIR red-1 , VI, PI and NIRlbio ) were tested and positive relations between these indices and total live biomass and green biomass were observed, with r between 0·69 and 0·96. Inverse relations of an asymptotic nature were observed between dead biomass as a percentage of total biomass and of green biomass, with r between 0·90 and 0·91. A model discriminating live and dead above-ground biomass was developed to improve correlations between canopy reflectance and biomass variables. The model nearly doubled the correlation coefficient between reflectance and green biomass for a canopy containing large amounts of interfering dead biomass, but did not change this correlation for a canopy containing small amounts of dead biomass.