Generating of soil in the process of bioremediation.

Napredak tehnologije i industrije u poslednjih sto godina, porast populacije i razvoj velikih gradova, dovode do generisanja otpada čija količina prevazilazi sposobnost prirode za samoprečišćavanjem. Nagomilavanje otpadnog materijala različitog porekla dovodi do sve većeg zagađenja životne sredine uključujuči i zemljište. Otpadne supstance koje se ne mogu razgraditi degradiraju zemljište, i prouzrokuju poremećaje normalnih procesa u njemu, sa negativnim posledicama po ekosistem i zdravlje ljudi. Nafta kao i njeni derivati predstavljaju jedan od najvećih i najopasnijih zagađivača životne sredine, a samim tim i zemljišta. Do zagađenja naftom i naftnim derivatima može doći usled njene eksploatacije, prerade, transporta, skladištenja i korišćenja, ali i usled slučajnih izlivanja. Metoda koja se poslednjih godina sve više koristi za saniranje posledica usled zagađenja naftom je bioremedijacija. Bioremedijacija je proces koji se bazira na prirodnom kapacitetu mikroorganizama za degradaciju ili transformaciju toksičnih supstanci u životnoj sredini u bezopasne proizvode. Bioremedijacione tehnologije su u skladu sa principima održivog razvoja, jer ne generišu otpad, a tretirano zemljište može da povrati svoju prirodnu biološku aktivnost. Cilj ovog rada je bio da se ispita primena različitih mikroorganizama kao „bioloških agenasa“, kroz dva procesa od suštinskog značaja za nastanak zemljišta. Prvi podrazumeva ispitivanje zimogenog aktivnog konzorcijuma mikroorganizama za ex situ bioremedijaciju složenog naftnog kontaminanta u sloju veštačkog zemljišnog supstrata, sa rečnim peskom kao matičnom stenom, uz simultano praćenje procesa humifikacije. Mobilizacija fosfora posredstvom mikroorgnizama je druga grupa procesa, koja je proučavana u ovom radu, tako što su korišćeni fosfatna ruda i koncentat pirita kao supstrat, uz dodatak acidofilne bakterijske kulture Acidithiobacillus sp. kao katalizatora. Istraživanja bazirana na simultanoj bioremedijacija i humifikaciji obuhvatila su tri eksperimenta...The advance of technology and industry in the last hundred years, population growth and the development of big cities have led to the production of waste materials in quantities which exceed self-purification capacity of nature. The accumulation of waste materials of various origin causes increased pollution of the environment, including soil. Nondegradable waste materials degrade soil and disrupt normal soil processes, which has negative effects on the ecosystem and human health. Petroleum and its derivatives are one of the major and most dangerous pollutants of soil. Pollution by petroleum and petroleum derivatives is caused by its exploitation, processing, transport, storage and use, but also by accidental spills. Bioremediation is a method of reducing petroleum pollution which has been widely used in the last years. Bioremediation is a process which is based on the natural capacity of microorganisms to degrade or transform toxic substances from the environment into harmless products. Bioremediation technologies are in harmony with the principles of sustainable development since waste materials are not generated, and the treated soil can recover its natural biological activity. The aim of this paper is to study the use of different microorganisms as “biological agents” through two processes which are of crucial importance for soil formation. The first one includes the study of an active consortium of zymogenous microorganisms for ex situ bioremediation of a complex petroleum contaminant in the layer of artificial soil substrate with river sand as parent material, along with simultaneous monitoring of the humification process. Phosphorus mobilisation by microorganisms is the second group of processes studied in this paper and in this study phosphate ore and pyrite concentrate are used as substrate while the culture of acidophilic bacteria Acidithiobacillus sp. was added as a catalyst. The studies based on simultaneous bioremediation and humification included..

Phthalate esters in glass jar metal lids from Serbian markets

Phthalate esters are plasticizers which are used to impart flexibility in PVC resins but also in other resins such as polyvinyl acetates and polyurethanes. A wide range of consumer products contain specific members of this family of chemicals. Phthalate plasticizers are not chemically bound to PVC. Because of that they can enter the environment through losses during manufacturing processes and by leaching from final products [1]. Phthalate esters are suspected of having endocrine disrupting properties [2,3]. Exposure to high concentrations was shown to induce fetal death, cancer, liver and kidney injury and reproductive toxicity in animals [4,5,6]. Due to growing health concerns and environmental awareness, producers all over the world are increasingly forced to use non-phthalate plasticizers. However, phthalate esters are still found in many products, even in those which are used for food packaging and storage. The aim of our study was investigation of glass jar metal lids for presence of phthalate esters. Different glass jars with screw-on metal lids were bought at supermarkets in Belgrade, Serbia. All metal lids had a plastic seal ring that goes between the glass lid and the rim of the jar. The glass jars were washed according to the usual laboratory procedure, filled with distilled water, closed with screw-on metal lids and left upside-down for three days at room temperature. The water from glass jars was extracted with hexane. Hexane extracts were dried with Na2SO4, and evaporated to dryness under stream of nitrogen. Masses of all extracts were 0.2 mg. Procedural blank - a control sample containing distilled water in a glass jar without a metal lid was analyzed according to the same procedure. The resulting mass was negligible. The extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). GC–MS was conducted using an Agilent 7890A gas chromatograph (HP5-MS column, 30 m × 0.25 mm, 0.25 μm film thickness, He carrier gas, 1.5 cm3 min-1), coupled to an Agilent 5975C mass selective detector (70 eV). GC-MS analysis revealed that most of the compounds identified in these extracts were phthalate esters. However, the lids were divided into two distinct groups, based on the number of carbon atoms in the alcohol chain of the phthalate esters identified. One group contained phthalate esters with long alkyl chains (9, 10 or more C atoms). The second group contained phthalate esters with short alkyl chains (usually 4C atoms) with different degree of branching. Typical for the second group of lids were also squalene and 13-docosenamide, common plastic additives. It can be concluded that, regardless of the type of the containing phthalate esters, 0.2 mg of these compounds can migrate from the investigated metal lids into distilled water with which it is in contact, during three days at room temperature. Considering the composition of food products which are usually packed in this kind of containers but also the fact that the increased temperature is usually used during their production process, it can be presumed that migration of phthalate esters from metal lids into the food products contained in the glass jars might be even higher

Phthalate esters in glass jar metal lids from Serbian markets

Phthalate esters are plasticizers which are used to impart flexibility in PVC resins but also in other resins such as polyvinyl acetates and polyurethanes. A wide range of consumer products contain specific members of this family of chemicals. Phthalate plasticizers are not chemically bound to PVC. Because of that they can enter the environment through losses during manufacturing processes and by leaching from final products [1]. Phthalate esters are suspected of having endocrine disrupting properties [2,3]. Exposure to high concentrations was shown to induce fetal death, cancer, liver and kidney injury and reproductive toxicity in animals [4,5,6]. Due to growing health concerns and environmental awareness, producers all over the world are increasingly forced to use non-phthalate plasticizers. However, phthalate esters are still found in many products, even in those which are used for food packaging and storage. The aim of our study was investigation of glass jar metal lids for presence of phthalate esters. Different glass jars with screw-on metal lids were bought at supermarkets in Belgrade, Serbia. All metal lids had a plastic seal ring that goes between the glass lid and the rim of the jar. The glass jars were washed according to the usual laboratory procedure, filled with distilled water, closed with screw-on metal lids and left upside-down for three days at room temperature. The water from glass jars was extracted with hexane. Hexane extracts were dried with Na2SO4, and evaporated to dryness under stream of nitrogen. Masses of all extracts were 0.2 mg. Procedural blank - a control sample containing distilled water in a glass jar without a metal lid was analyzed according to the same procedure. The resulting mass was negligible. The extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). GC–MS was conducted using an Agilent 7890A gas chromatograph (HP5-MS column, 30 m × 0.25 mm, 0.25 μm film thickness, He carrier gas, 1.5 cm3 min-1), coupled to an Agilent 5975C mass selective detector (70 eV). GC-MS analysis revealed that most of the compounds identified in these extracts were phthalate esters. However, the lids were divided into two distinct groups, based on the number of carbon atoms in the alcohol chain of the phthalate esters identified. One group contained phthalate esters with long alkyl chains (9, 10 or more C atoms). The second group contained phthalate esters with short alkyl chains (usually 4C atoms) with different degree of branching. Typical for the second group of lids were also squalene and 13-docosenamide, common plastic additives. It can be concluded that, regardless of the type of the containing phthalate esters, 0.2 mg of these compounds can migrate from the investigated metal lids into distilled water with which it is in contact, during three days at room temperature. Considering the composition of food products which are usually packed in this kind of containers but also the fact that the increased temperature is usually used during their production process, it can be presumed that migration of phthalate esters from metal lids into the food products contained in the glass jars might be even higher

Evaluation of assays for screening polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-degrading potential of bacteria

Within a 30-day incubation laboratory study, the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) degradation profile of two bacteria, Planomicrobium sp. RNP01 and Rhodococcus sp. RNP05 were studied by three microtiter plate assays to reveal the combination of certain biological and biochemical characteristics which are reliable indicators in evaluation of bacterial biodegradation abilities. The three assays, which are hydrocarbon growth assay, 2,6-DCPIP assay and dehydrogenase activity assay revealed that Rhodococcus sp. RNP05 exhibited better potential for PAH degradation than Planomicrobium sp. RNP01. Differences between initial and final optical density and specific growth rate constants were significantly higher (r = 0.995, P < 0.05) in case of Rhodococcus sp. RNP05 on all tested substrates, as compared to Planomicrobium sp. RNP01. This was confirmed by GC-FID analyses. Dehydrogenase activity of Rhodococcus sp. RNP05 was higher (r = 0.9995, P < 0.05) than Planomicrobium sp. RNP01 and correlated positively with the hydrocarbon growth assay (r = 0.999, P < 0.05, for Rhodococcus sp. RNP05, r = 0.986, P < 0.05 for Planomicrobium sp. RNP01). This study has shown that the combination of these assays could be used for determining the bioremediation potential of PAHs in petroleum contaminated soil with the ability of screening a large number of bacterial strains.Degradacija policikličnih aromatičnih ugljovodonika (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons - PAH) ispitivana je testovima u mikrotitar pločama pomoću dva bakterijska soja Planomicrobium sp. RNP01 i Rhodococcus sp. RNP05, u periodu od 30 dana. Rezultati ispitivanja su ukazali da se kombinacijom određenih bioloških i biohemijskih karakteristika mogu kreirati dobri indikatori u proceni bakterijskog degradacionog potencijala. Tri testa, 2,6-DCPIP test, test dehidrogenazne aktivnosti i test rasta na ugljovodonicima pokazali su da Rhodococcus sp. RNP05 ima veći potencijal za degradaciju PAH jednjenja u odnosu na Planomicrobium sp. RNP01. Razlike u početnoj i krajnjoj optičkoj gustini i specifične konstante rasta bile su značajno više (r = 0,995, P < 0,05) u testu sa Rhodococcus sp. RNP05 na svim testiranim supstratima, u poređenju sa Planomicrobium sp. RNP01, a dobijeni rezultati su potvrđeni gasno-hromatogafskom-FID analizom. Dehidrogenazna aktivnost soja Rhodococcus sp. RNP05 bila je viša u odnosu na Planomicrobium sp. RNP01 (r = 0,9995, P < 0,05) i u pozitivnoj korelaciji sa testom rasta na ugljovodonicima (r = 0,999, P < 0,05, za Rhodococcus sp. RNP05, r = 0,986, P < 0,05 za Planomicrobium sp. RNP01). Rezultati prikazanog istraživanja ukazuju na to da se kombinacija ovih testova može koristiti za određivanje bioremedijacionog potencijala za razgradnju PAH jedinjenja u zemljištu zagađenim naftom, pri čemu se dobija i mogućnost testiranja velikog broja bakterijskih sojeva

Effect of storage process on nutritive properties of preterm human milk

Freeze storage and pasteurization of human milk are common treatments in milk banks. Thermal treatment changes the quality of milk for preterm infants’ nutrition, and the aim of this paper was to examine the nutritional profile and antioxidant potential of preterm human milk after storage and pasteurization, and also after supplementation with fortifier. The effects of storage processes were estimated on mature preterm milk of 30 breastfeeding women. Total proteins, lipids and lactose were determined after thermal processing and supplementation of mature preterm milk with fortifier. The antioxidant capacity was determined using the ferric reducing antioxidant potential method and lipid peroxidation inhibition assay. Protein concentration decreased after frozen storage and pasteurization (p<0.05). Pasteurization further reduced the lipid concentration after freezing. The ferric reducing antioxidant potential decreased after thermal treatments (p<0.05). Supplementation of mature milk with fortifier increased the concentration of proteins, lipids and lactose. Our findings demonstrated that storage and pasteurization processes affect the basic nutritional composition and antioxidant capacity of preterm human milk. In order to ensure adequate nutrition for preterm infants with preterm human milk, supplementation, especially with high concentrations of proteins and lipids, is necessary after thermal treatments

Recovery of Copper from ore dump using bioleaching approach

Bioleaching is an environmentally-friendly approach for the extraction of useful metals from low-grade ores and secondary mineral materials. The object of this paper was to examine the possibility of microbiological solubilisation of copper from ore dump by Acidithiobacillus sp. B2. Leaching experiments were performed by the shake flask testing technique at 28 oC, during two-week period. The percentage of the copper leached at the end of this experiment was 31%

Efficient Removal of Water Soluble Fraction of Diesel Oil by Biochar Sorption Supported by Microbiological Degradation

he contamination of the water bodies by diesel oil (DO) and its water-soluble fraction (WSF) represents one of the most challenging tasks in the management of polluted water streams. This paper contains data related to the synthesis and characteristics of the plum stone biochar material (PmS-B), which was made from waste plum stones (PmS), along with its possible application in the sorption of the WSF of DO from contaminated water. Techniques applied in sample characterisation and comparisons were: Elemental Organic Analysis (EOA), Scanning Electron Microscopy−Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), pH (pHsus) and point of zero charge (pHpzc). In order to increase the overall efficiency of the removal process, sorption and bioremediation were subsequently combined. Firstly, PmS-B was used as a sorbent of WSF, and then the remaining solution was additionally treated with a specific consortium of microorganisms. After the first treatment phase, the initial concentration of diesel WSF was reduced by more than 90%, where most of the aromatic components of DO were removed by sorption. The sorption equilibrium results were best fitted by the Sips isotherm model, where the maximum sorption capacity was found to be 40.72 mg/g. The rest of the hydrocarbon components that remained in the solution were further subjected to the biodegradation process by a consortium of microorganisms. Microbial degradation lasted 19 days and reduced the total diesel WSF concentration to 0.46 mg/L. In order to confirm the non-toxicity of the water sample after this two-stage treatment, eco-toxicity tests based on a microbial biosensor (Aliivibrio fischeri) were applied, confirming the high efficiency of the proposed method

Poster: "Biodegradation of diesel D2 by indigenous Rhodococcus sp. recovered from petroleum contaminated soil"

Diesel has served as a primary source of fuel in transportation, as well as in small-scale energy generation for backup or emergency power supply, for decades (de Witt et al, 2021). Despite the decreasing production of fossil fuels due to global energy transitions, environmental contamination by petroleum derivatives can persist for extended periods (Marigómez, 2014). Consequently, there remains a high demand for improved technologies to clean up contaminated areas [Ossai et al, 2020]. This paper presents a GC/MS study on the biodegradation of hydrocarbon fractions of diesel D2, utilizing indigenous Rhodocuccus sp. isolated from petroleum-contaminated soil. GC-MS analysis was employed to determine the abundances of specific compounds such as n-alkanes, isoprenoids, sesquiterpanes, hopanes, steranes, and aromatic compounds (including trimethyl-naphthalenes, phenanthrene, anthracene, methylphenanthrenes, dibenzothiophene, and methyl-dibenzothiophenes). After 30 days of biodegradation of diesel D2, significant degradation was achieved, with complete degradation of sesquiterpanes and a reduction in the number of n-alkanes lower than C21. Pristane and phytane were almost completely degraded. Additionally, dimethyl-dibenzothiophenes were nearly completely degraded and removed from the system.Poster presented at 11th International Conference on Sustainable Solid Waste Management, Rhodes 2024, June 19-22, 2024, Rhodes, GreeceAbstract: [https://cer.ihtm.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/7691

Investigation of Inhibitory Effect of Molybdenum and Cobalt in the Isolated Microorganism Consortia Which is Used in Bioremediation

Poster presented at: FEMS online Conference on Microbiology, 28 – 31 October 2020Poster: [https://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/5408

Investigation of Inhibitory Effect of Molybdenum and Cobalt in the Isolated Microorganism Consortia Which is Used in Bioremediation

Poster presented at: FEMS online Conference on Microbiology, 28 – 31 October 2020Abstract: [https://cer.ihtm.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/4962