An efficient cyanide-degrading Bacillus pumilus strain |
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Authors: | P R Meyers P Gokool D E Rawlings D R Woods |
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Affiliation: | Department of Microbiology, University of Cape Town, South Africa. |
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Abstract: | A Gram-positive, aerobic, endospore-forming bacterium was isolated by an enrichment technique for the ability to degrade cyanide and was identified as a Bacillus pumilus strain. The bacterium rapidly degraded 100 mg l-1 of free cyanide in the absence of added inorganic and organic substances. The ability to degrade cyanide was linked to the growth phase and was not exhibited before late exponential/early stationary phase. Cyanide-degrading activity could not be induced before this time by the addition of 20 mg cyanide l-1. Production of the cyanide-degrading activity required 0.01 mg Mn2+ l-1 and did not occur at Mn2+ concentrations below 0.002 mg l-1. Cyanide-degrading activity was intracellular and cell-free extracts rapidly degraded cyanide. |
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