The use ofZoogloea ramigera in waste water treatment containing Cr(VI) and Cd(II) ions

Summary Optimum fermentation conditions forZ. ramigera were determined and various parameters which affected adsorption rates of chromium and cadmium ions onZ. ramigera were investigated. At 25°C the optimum adsorption pH of Cr(VI) and Cd(II) ions were 2.0 and 6.0 respectively. The adsorption rate of chromium and cadmium ion increased by increasing initial metal ion concentration up to 75 and 50 ppm respectively: at higher initial metal ion concentrations, the adsorption rates decreased.     

The recovery of heavy metals using encapsulated microbial cells

We prepared capsules containingSaccharomyces cerevisiae andZoogloea ramigera cells for the removal of lead (II) and cadmium ions. Microbial cells were encapsulated and cultured in the growth medium. TheS. cerevisiae cells grown in the capsule did not leak through the capsule membrane. The dried cell density reached to 250 g/l on the basis of the inner volume of the 2.0 mm diameter capsule after 36 hour cultivation. The dry whole cell exopolymer density of encapsulatedZ. ramigera reached to 200 g/L. The capsule was crosslinked with triethylene tetramine and glutaric dialdehyde solutions. The cadmium uptake of encapsulated whole cell exopolymer ofZ. ramigera was 55 mg Cd/g biosorbent. The adsorption line followed well Langmuir isotherm. The lead uptake of the encapsulatedS. cerevisiae was about 30 mg Pb/g biomass. The optimum pH of the lead uptake using encapsulatedS. cerevisiae was found to be 6. Freundlich model showed a little better fit to the adsorption data than Langmuir model. 95 percent of the lead adsorbed on the encapsulated biosorbents was desorbed by the 1 M HCl solution. The capsule was reused 50 batches without loosing the metal uptake capacity. And the mechanical strength of the crosslinked capsule was retained after 50 trials.     

Physiological adsorption of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius on coal surfaces

Summary The adsorption of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius on bituminous coal surfaces and the respiration rate during adsorption at 70° C were enhanced at pH 1.0–2.0, in comparison with those at pH 3.0–5.0. The maximum number of bacterial cells adsorbed per unit area of coal attained a maximum (1.4 × 10¹¹ cells/m²) at pH 2.0. The rate of desulphurization at pH 2.2–2.5 was higher than at other pHs tested. Micrographs of S. acidocaldarius obtained by TEM and SEM indicated that the cells were adsorbed to the coal surfaces by extracellular slime. Specific inhibitors of membrane-bound ATPase (NaF, 20 mm) and respiration (NaN₃, 1 mm; KCN, 1 mm) had pronounced effects on suppressing adsorption. The amount of S. acidocaldarius adsorbed decreased when the coal particles were leached in advance with 2.0 m HNO₃. These facts lead to the conclusion that the adsorption of S. acidocaldarius on coal surfaces requires physiological activity relatd to respiration or energy conversion. Offprint requests to: V. B. Vitaya     

Copper adsorption by Rhizopus arrhizus,Cladosporium resinae and Penicillium italicum

Summary Copper adsorption by Rhizopus arrhizus, Cladosporium resinae and Penicillium italicum was studied using a copper-selective electrode. Copper adsorption by C. resinae and P. italicum obeyed the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms for single-layer adsorption whereas R. arrhizus followed the BET isotherm for multi-layer adsorption. Temperature had little effect on adsorption over the range 4–25°C. Mineral acids were effective for desorption of copper from preloaded biomass, the efficiency of desorption increasing with decreasing pH. Other cations were also capable of copper desorption with zinc showing the greatest efficiency and sodium the lowest.     

Effect of temperature on the adsorption and one-step growth of the Nostoc virus N-1

This study was an attempt to observe the effects of temperature on adsorption and one-step growth of the virus N-1 infecting the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Nostoc muscorum. Adsorption rate was found to be maximum at 40° C whereas no adsorption occurred at 10° C. The Q ₁₀ value was about 2.03 and the energy of activation, Ea was 16.3 kcal/ mole for the adsorption process. The development cycle of the virus was temperature sensitive. With increase in temperature, a gradual increase in inhibition of virus yield i.e. 8.33% at 30° C, 35.3% at 35° C and complete inhibition at 40° C was observed. Out of 7 h latent period, the early 4 h were temperature sensitive and heat treatment had a reversible inhibitory effect on virus development. The temperature treatment did not affect the rise period but burst-size was reduced.List of Abbreviattions PFU plaque-forming units - IM input multiplicity     

Biotechnological potential of Chlorella vulgaris for accumulation of Cu and Ni from single and binary metal solutions

This study provides information on the mechanism(s) of Cu and Ni ion biosorption by C. vulgaris, distinguishing adsorption from intracellular accumulation under various conditions. Surface adsorption was found to contribute maximally (>70%) to total Cu/Ni ion accumulation by the test alga (total accumulation efficiencies were 60 and 53 g metal ion mg protein^–1, respectively for Cu and Ni). Maximum intracellular uptake was reported at a pH range of 6.5–7.5, whereas adsorption reached its maximum at pH 3.5 for Cu, and pH 3.5 and 6.5 in the case of Ni. 35 °C was found to be the best temperature for maximum adsorption, whereas intracellular uptake was highest at 25 °C. Though exponentially grown C. vulgaris registered maximum metal ion uptake, adsorption maxima reached the highest values in the declining phase of the culture. Heat-killed and air-dried C. vulgaris accumulated Cu and Ni at about 80% of the values for viable samples, whereas formaldehyde-treated and immobilized biomasses depicted better accumulating potential than the control cells. Na, K, Mn and Zn caused competitive inhibition, whereas for Ca a mixed-type inhibition was evident. Thus, the present study suggests that the general concept that cations inhibit metal ion accumulation by competing with them for the same binding sites on the cell surface is not absolutely valid. As these results also demonstrate that a large amount of the bound metal (>70%) is in the adsorbed fraction, it is advantageous in the sense that it could be recovered by a suitable desorbing agent, especially in case of precious metals and the biomass could be exploited for repeated use in reactors.     

Langmuir adsorption isotherm forSulfolobus acidocaldarius on coal particles

Summary Sulfolobus acidocaldarius attachment to coal particles was observed in 20% coal slurry at 72°C and pH 2.0. The rate and extent of attachment were determined and the data fit the Langmuir adsorption model. The results compared qualitatively with selected adsorption data from other investigators forThiobacillus ferrooxidans.     

Effects of species of VA-mycorrhizal fungi on growth and mineral uptake of sorghum at different temperatures

Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] plants were grown in growth chambers at 20, 25 and 30°C in a low P Typic Argiudoll (3.65 µg P g^–1 soil, pH 8.3) inoculated with Glomus fasciculatum, Glomus intraradices, and Glomus macrocarpum to determine effects of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (VAMF) species on plant growth and mineral nutrient uptake. Sorghum root colonization by VAMF and plant responses to Glomus species were temperature dependent. G. macrocarpum colonized sorghum roots best and enhanced plant growth and mineral uptake considerably more than the other VAMF species, especially at 30°C. G. fasciculatum enhanced shoot growth at 20 and 25°C, and mineral uptake only at 20°C. G. intraradices depressed shoot growth and mineral uptake at 30°C. G. macrocarpum enhanced shoot P, K, and Zn at all temperatures, and Fe at 25 and 30°C above that which could be accounted for by increased biomass. Sorghum plant growth responses to colonization by VAMF species may need to be evaluated at different temperatures to optimize beneficial effects.     

Effect of temperature and pH on phenol removal using purified Coprinus cinereus peroxidase

The removal of phenol by peroxidase-catalysed polymerization was examined using purified Coprinus cinereus peroxidase. The phenol removal efficiency increased with a decrease in the reaction temperature over the range of 0–70 °C, though only a trace of enzyme activity with 4-aminoantipyrine (4-AAP), phenol and hydrogen peroxide was found at 0 °C. The optimum pH value for phenol removal was 9.0, while the enzyme expressed maximum activity at pH 7.5 in the presence of 4-AAP, phenol and hydrogen peroxide. By measuring residual enzyme activity in the polymerizing reaction mixture, it was shown that enzyme inactivation by free radicals was more suppressed at 0 °C than at 40 °C and that the adsorption of the enzyme on the polymerized precipitate was more suppressed at pH 9.0 than that at pH 7.5.     

Chemical modification of chitosan by tetraethylenepentamine and adsorption study for anionic dye removal

To utilize the contribution of introduced amino groups to the adsorption of an anionic dye (eosin Y), a batch adsorption system was applied to study the adsorption of eosin Y from aqueous solution by tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) modified chitosan (TEPA–CS). Experiments were carried out as a function of particle size, initial pH, agitation rate, adsorbent dosage, agitation period, temperature and initial concentration of eosin Y. The Langmuir and Freundlich models were used to fit the adsorption isotherms. From the values of correlation coefficients (R²), it was observed that the experimental data fit very well to the Langmuir model, giving a maximum sorption capacity of 292.4 mg/g at 298 K. Kinetic studies showed that the kinetic data were well described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The thermodynamic study revealed negative value of enthalpy change (ΔH°) and free energy change (ΔG°), indicating spontaneous and endothermic nature of the adsorption of eosin Y on to TEPA–CS.     

Comparison of chromium adsorption to starved and fresh subsurface bacterial consortium

Summary The adsorption of chromium (Cr⁺⁶) to a denitrifying consortium was investigated for starved and fresh cells under three pH values (pH 6.0, 7.5 and 9.0). Cells starved 50 days adsorbed approximately 10–15% more Cr⁺⁶ than fresh (0 day) cells at those three pH conditions.     

Fast and efficient adsorption/desorption of protein by a novel magnetic nano-adsorbent

A novel magnetic nano-adsorbent was prepared by covalently binding polyacrylic acid (PAA) on Fe₃O₄ superparamagnetic nanoparticles (13.2 nm) via carbodiimide activation. The maximum weight ratio of PAA to Fe₃O₄ was 0.12 (i.e., average of two PAA molecules on a magnetic nanoparticle). The magnetic nano-adsorbent possessed a high ionic exchange capacity of 1.64 meq g^–1 and was efficient for the recovery of lysozyme. The lysozyme could be completely adsorbed in 0.1 M phosphate buffer at pH 3–5 and completely desorbed in NaSCN solution (>1 M) within 1 min, and retained 95% activity after adsorption/desorption. In addition, the adsorption behavior followed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm with a maximum adsorption amount of 0.224 mg mg^–1 and a Langmuir adsorption equilibrium constant of 10 ml mg^–1 at 25 °C. The change of enthalpy at 15–35 °C was –4.2 kJ ml mol^–1 mg^–1.     

Large-scale purification of xylanase T-6

Bacillus stearothermophilus T-6 produces an extracellular thermostable xylanase that can bleach paper pulp optimally at 60°C and pH 9.0. We developed an efficient method for purifying the enzyme from the cell broth by using successive steps of batch adsorption on the cellulosic cation exchanger SE-52. The optimal pH values for adsorption and elution are 5.5 and 9 respectively. The conductivity of the cell broth should remain below 7 mS/cm² and the suitable temperature range for adsorption is 15–60°C. The adsorption parameters are: maximum capacity, 118 mg enzyme/g adsorbent; dissociation constant, 0.6 mg/ml; partition coefficient 0.988. On the basis of these results, a large-scale (12 000 l) purification process was carried out resulting in a 55% final yield and over 95% pure enzyme.     

Utilization in alginate beads for Cu(II) and Ni(II) adsorption of an exopolysaccharide produced by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chryseomonas luteola</Emphasis> TEM05

Copper and nickel adsorption onto calcium alginate, sodium alginate with an extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) produced by the activated sludge bacterium Chryseomonas luteola TEM05 and the immobilized C. luteola TEM05 from aqueous solutions were studied. After that, the multi metal ions containing these ions together were prepared and partial competitive adsorptions of these mixtures were also investigated. The metal adsorption of gel beads were carried out at pH 6.0, 25 °C. The maximum adsorption capacities in Langmuir isotherm for calcium alginate, calcium alginate + EPS, calcium alginate + C. luteola TEM05 and calcium alginate + EPS + C. luteola TEM05 were 1.505, 1.989, 1.976, 1.937 mmol/g dry weight for Cu(II) and 0.996, 1.224, 1.078, 1.219 mol/g dry weight for Ni(II), respectively.The competitive biosorption capacities of the carrier for all metal ions were lower than single conditions.     

Isolation and partial characterization of bacteriocins from<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Pediococcus</Emphasis> species

Lactic acid bacteria have received increased attention as a potential food preservative due to their strong antagonistic activity against many food-spoilage and pathogenic organisms. Three Pediococcus species, P. acidilactici NCIM 2292, P. pentosaceous. NCIM 2296 and P. cervisiae NCIM 2171, were evaluated for bacteriocin production. Inhibitory substance were produced during the late growth phase and maximum production occurred at 37 °C after 36–48 h of incubation. Bacteriocins partially purified from these species by cold-acetone precipitation at 0 °C and cell adsorption desorption techniques have a broad inhibitory spectrum against microorganisms, including gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas. Proteolytic enzymes inactivated these peptides, but amylase and lipase did not show any effect. The bacteriocins were stable over a wide pH range (3–8) and apparently most active at pH 4.0–5.0. They were heat-stable (1 h at ~80 °C and autoclaving) at pH 5.0. No loss in activity was observed when stored under refrigeration (4–8 °C). Tris-Tricine SDS-PAGE revealed the molecular masses of these peptides to be between 3.5 and 5.0 kDa.     

Biodegradation of dichloroacetic acid by entrapped and adsorptive immobilized Xanthobacter autotrophicus GJ10

The degradation of dichloroacetic acid (DCA) by free, Ca-alginate entrapped and adsorptive immobilized cells of Xanthobacter autotrophicus GJ10 has been studied in various experimental systems. Entrapped cells tolerated increasing concentrations of DCA better than free cells. Free and adsorptive immobilized cells degraded DCA most effectively at maximum O₂ supply, 34°C and an initial pH value of 8.0. The degradation of high DCA concentrations led to a decrease in the pH value and to a stagnation of mineralization, particularly with free or entrapped cells. Due to the stabilization of pH, the supplementation of acetate or succinate resulted in a complete degradation of higher DCA concentrations. Higher degradation rates than in shake cultures were achieved in air-bubble and packed-bed fermentors. DCA was mineralized faster by free or entrapped X. autotrophicus GJ10 than by adsorptive immobilized cells, which, however, were able to remove higher DCA concentrations. The results of the recent investigations with immobilized X. autotrophicus GJ10 are an important prerequisite for the application of this bacterium in waste treatment systems. Correspondence to: U. Heinze     

Comparative studies on the adsorption of Cr(VI) ions on to various sorbents

The adsorption of Cr(VI) ions onto various sorbents (chitin, chitosan, ion exchangers; Purolite CT-275 (Purolite I), Purolite MN-500 (Purolite II) and Amberlite XAD-7) was investigated. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out as a function of pH, agitation period and concentration of Cr(VI) ions. The optimum pH for Cr(VI) adsorption was found as 3.0 for chitin and chitosan. The Cr(VI) uptake by ion exchangers was not very sensitive to changes in the pH of the adsorption medium. The maximum chromium sorption occurred at approximately 50 min for chitin, 40 min for Purolite II and 30 min for chitosan, Purolite I and Amberlite XAD-7. The suitability of the Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption models were also investigated for each chromium-sorbent system. Adsorption isothermal data could be accurately interpreted by the Langmuir equation for chitosan, chitin, Purolite I and Purolite II and by the Freundlich equation for chitosan, chitin and Amberlite XAD-7. The chromium(VI) ions could be removed from the sorbents rapidly by treatment with an aqueous EDTA solution and at the same time the sorbent regenerated and also could be used again to adsorb by heavy metal ions. The results showed that, chitosan, which is a readily available, economic sorbent, was found suitable for removing chromium from aqueous solution.     

pH-dependent adsorption of cellulases to protein-extracted lucerne fibres

The capacity of protein-extracted lucerne fibres to bind the cellulases of the mesophilic fungus Trichoderma reesei , and the thermophilic actinomycete Thermomonospora curvata , was determined to evaluate the fibre as a cellulase-recycling vehicle during bioconversion processes. Adsorption of fungal and bacterial cellulase complexes was minimal at the pH optima (5-0 and 6-2 respectively) for fibre conversion to soluble sugars. Lowering of incubation temperature to 3°C enhanced adsorption of fungal cellulases, but had no effect on bacterial cellulase adsorption. However, adsorptive capacity for either could be improved about 30% by raising the pH above the hydrolysis optimum during the recycling phase.     

Competing ion effect on chromium adsorption with fresh and starved subsurface bacterial consortium

Summary The sorption of chromium (Cr⁺⁶) was investigated for 50 day starved and fresh cells in the presence of sulfate ion as a competing ion at three pH values (pH 6.0, 7.5 and 9.0). The chromium distribution in the subcellular components was also determined by conducting cell fractionation. Although a previous study showed that cells which had been starved for 50 days prior to being exposed to a chromium containing solution sorbed 10–15% more chromium than did fresh cells (Kong et al., 1992a), this study demonstrated that such cells did not sorb more chromium in the presence of sulfate ion.     

Biosorption of reactive dyes by the mycelium pellets of a new isolate of Penicillium oxalicum

Three reactive dyes were rapidly adsorbed by the mycelium pellets of Penicillium oxalicum. Dye removal of Reactive Blue 19 was up to 60% in 10 min and 91% in 80 min. Dye adsorption isotherms fitted Langmuir model well and the maximum adsorption capacities at 20 °C were calculated to be 160 mg g^–1 for Reactive Blue 19, 122 mg g^–1 for Reactive Red 241 and 137 mg g^–1 for Reactive Yellow 145, respectively. The pellets exhibited a high dye adsorption capacity (80–180 mg g^–1) for all of the 3 dyes over a wide pH range (pH 2–10), and the maximum adsorption was obtained at pH 2. The adsorption capacity was mildly increased by increasing salinity.