Microorganisms as key links in the flow of substances and energy in ecospheres

The most energy on Earth derives from radiant energy of the sun, which is transformed into chemical and mechanical energy. Energy links species, and flows through ecosystems because changing the energy available at one part of the food chain causes changes throughout the ecosystem. Movements and transformations of elements and their compounds by biochemical activity of the ecosphere where they circulate with characteristic pathways between its abiotic and biotic parts are called biogeochemical cycles (BGCC). They include physical transformations, such as dissolution, precipitation, evaporation, and fixation, such as chemical changes, biosynthesis, biodegradation, redox reactions, and also various combinations of these changes. There are biogeochemical cycles for chemical elements, such as for carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, selenium, mercury, iron and sulfur. Microorganisms play crucial role in the BGCC’s though production, decomposition, and fixation of biogenic elements and compounds, as well as symbiotic relationships with other organisms. Due to high diversity of microorganisms, their various metabolic and biosynthetic pathways and unpredictable number of compunds with the most diverse structures as well as functions of secondary metabolites microorganisms are applied in many aspects of human life: the decomposition of pollutants and toxic wastes (biodegradation or bioremediation of domestic, agricultural, and industrial wastes), the efficient utilization of limited natural resources (bioleaching) and transformations of chemical substances that can be used by other organisms

Microbiological production of agents for immobilization of toxic metals in the environment

Environmental pollution occurs as a result of industrialization, technological development and the rapid increase in population, urban planning and agricultural development. Heavy metals in the environment are usually found in trace amounts, but those amounts can be toxic to living organisms. Elements such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, nickel, mercury, chromium, cobalt, zinc and selenium are toxic and in very small quantities. The mobile fraction of heavy metal include: water-soluble metals (in the form of ions in the soil solution), and easily-replaceable fraction of soluble metal-organic complexes. Microorganisms play an important role in the biogeochemical cycles of metals. Some microbiological processes release metals and increase their mobility, thereby increasing the bioavailability for the metal and their potential toxicity, while others lead to their immobilization and reduced bioavailability. Since the chemistry and biology of certain polluted environment largely dictate bioremediation methods to be used in the future, we expect a wide range of bioremediation techniques to be used

Research of polluted habitats as sources of microorganisms for bioremediation

Cilj istraživanja u okviru doktorske disertacije bio je ispitivanje zagađenih ekosistema raznorodnim polutantima (toksični metali, nafta i naftni derivati, perfluorovana jedinjenja) kao izvora mikroorganizama za bioremedijaciju. Urađena je hemijska karakterizacija kontaminiranog zemljišta južne industrijske zone Pančeva, sedimenta iz kanala otpadnih voda, zemljišta zagađenog naftom i naftnim derivatima, remedijacione halde, kao i katalizatora iz procesa desulfurizacije nafte koji predstavljaju potencijalni zagađivač životne sredine. Pored hemijske analize urađena je i FTIR, 1H i 13C NMR, rengdenskom spektroskopijom. Izolovani i identifikovani su aktivni konzorcijumi zimogenih mikroorganizama. Posebna pažnja je usmerena na ispitivanje uticaja huminskih kiselina kao jedne od klasa krajnjih proizvoda mikrobiološke razgradnje organskih polutanata i organske supstance supstrata na konzorcijum mikroorganizama tokom simultane bioremedijacije i humifikacije, odnosno transformacije razgrađenih organskih supstanci u »humus« kao komponentu plodnosti zemljišta. Za praćenje promena tokom biorazgradnje, koje ukazuju na slobodnoradikalske mehanizme i njihovu moguću stimulaciju kojišćena je EPR spektroskopija. Rezultati su pokazali da ispitivane huminske kiseline direktno utiču na vezivanje hidroksil radikala vezivanjem Fe3+. Zbog reaktivne prirode, gvožđe je veoma toksično za organizam ukoliko njegova unutarćelijska koncentracija nije adekvatno regulisana. Toksičnost Fe3+ jona je zasnovana na njegovoj mogućnosti da reaguje sa super-oksidom pri čemu se stvara Fe2+.The objective of this doctoral dissertation was to examine the diverse ecosystems contaminated with pollutants (toxic metals, oil and oil derivatives, perfluorinated compounds) as the source of microorganisms for bioremediation. It was performed chemical characterization of contaminated soils of the southern industrial zone of Pančevo, sediments from the wastewater canal, soil contaminated by oil and oil products, bioremediation pile, as well as a catalyst for the desulfurization process of oil as a potential polluter of the environment. Beside chemical analyisis it was performed FTIR, 1H and 13C NMR and X-ray spectroscopy. Active zymogenous consortia of microorganisms was isolated and identified. Special attention was directed to examine the effect of humic acid as one of the classes of the end products of microbial degradation of organic pollutants and organic matter substrates on microbial consortium during simultaneous bioremediation and humification or transformation of decomposed organic matter in the "humus" as a component of soil fertility. Monitoring of changes during biodegradation that indicate the free radical mechanisms and their possible stimulation was performed by EPR spectroscopy. The results showed that the investigated humic acids directly affect the binding of hydroxyl radicals by binding of Fe3+. Because of its reactive nature, iron is highly toxic to the organisms if its intracellular concentration is not adequately regulated. Toxicity of Fe3+ ions is based on its ability to react with a super-oxide and formation of Fe2+

Impotance of entrepreneurship development in the academic community of Republic of Serbia

Moderno društvo je suočeno sa ubrzanom degradacijom životne sredine, eksploatacijom resursa, ekonomskom i finansijskom krizom, što se reflektuje na sve socijalne segmente ugrožavajući sposobnost za dugoročni razvoj i rast, odosno održivost. Akademska zajednica i naučne organizacije sve više postaju ključni akteri u razvoju inovacionih sistema i inovacije bazirane na nauci ispunjavaju sve uslove za poziciju strateškog prioriteta u poslovanju, samom činjenicom da se pomoću njih može ostvariti brzi ekonomski rast i konkurentska prednost. Sve više se nameće neophodnost razvijanja preduzetničkog duha u akademskoj zajednici i usmeravanja naučnog rada u pravcu primenjenih i razvojnih istraživanja, odnosno ka implementaciji na tržištu.Modern society is faced with accelerated degradation of the environment, overexploitation of the resources, economic and financial crisis. This reflects through all social segments, compromising the capacity for long-term development and growth, or sustainability. The academic community and scientific organizations are increasingly becoming key players in the development of innovation systems. Science-based innovations are fulfilling all the requirements for a strategic business priority, just with the fact that using them, the rapid economic growth and competitive advantage could be achieved. The need for developing a spirit of entrepreneurship in the academic community is becoming increasingly important, as so is guiding the scientific work towards the applied and development research, and implementation in the market.10. Međunarodni simpozijum o upravljanju prirodnim resursima, Zaječar, Srbija, 26.10.2020. / 10th international symposium on natural resources management Zaječar, Serbia, 26.10.2020

How Will Chemistry Help Solve World Hunger?

World hunger remains a pressing global issue that demands innovative solutions to ensure food security and alleviate widespread malnutrition. In this context, the role of chemistry in addressing the complex challenges of food production, preservation, and distribution is crucial. Chemistry has the potential to play a significant role in addressing the global issue of world hunger. Through the development of innovative agricultural practices, food preservation technologies, and novel food sources, chemistry can help increase the global food supply and ensure that all people have access to nutritious and affordable food. This paper explores the various ways in which chemistry is being used to tackle world hunger, from the production of drought-resistant crops to the development of sustainable farming methods. The paper also discusses the challenges that must be overcome to fully leverage the potential of chemistry in addressing world hunger, including the need for investment in research and development, as well as greater collaboration between scientists, policymakers, and other stakeholders. Ultimately, this paper argues that chemistry can be a powerful tool in the fight against world hunger and that continued investment in this field has the potential to make a significant impact on global food security. Chemistry plays a fundamental role in improving agricultural practices and increasing crop yields. Through the development of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, chemists can optimize plant growth, enhance soil fertility, and combat pests and diseases that threaten agricultural productivity. Moreover, advancements in genetic engineering and biotechnology allow scientists to create genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as potential food. In conclusion, chemistry holds immense potential in addressing the challenges of world hunger. By leveraging its principles and technologies, including agricultural innovations, food preservation techniques, fortification strategies, and sustainable practices, chemistry can contribute to increasing food production, improving nutrition, and ensuring food security for vulnerable populations. However, it is crucial to prioritize ethical considerations, sustainability, and equitable access to these advancements to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive approach to solving world hunger.Proceedings of The 14th European Nutrition Conference FENS 2023, Belgrade, Serbia, 14–17 November 202

Are sustainability and sustainable chemistry on the edge?

The world was hit almost simultaneously by two unplanned for catastrophes: the COVID-19pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Almost overnight everything has stopped (pandemic) and the world has rapidly accelerated (war). In both situations, everything has changed radically, both in everyday life and globally. From the perhaps more banal shortages of nails, screws and beer in Germany, due to the impossibility of deliveries from Ukraine (but from Russia and Belarus, also), to the almost cataclysmic energy crisis, food shortages, rising prices, dismissal of workers and inflation. The lack of critical materials, for which (REEs and Sb) the PRC holds the key in production, recicling and reuse, has stopped the production chains of almost all industries. Helium shortage threatens to shut down many key health instruments (NMR). Both disasters contribute to unimaginable levels of environmental pollution, beyond control. The war, where explosives and new types of issile/rocket fuels, pollute the air, land and water resources to unimaginable proportions, but also protective medical devices are contributing with micro- and nano-plastics. What could happen with regard to contamination of the Black and Azov Seas is hard to imagine, such as in the possible use of chemical weapons. When it comes to life and death, hunger and suffering, destruction and diseases all the lofty goals of humanity, including sustainability and consequently sustainable chemistry, cannot be in focus.For that very reason, never forget the “golden” rules:1. When the prices of nickel and copper on the LME rise, war is on the horizon!2. With the release of frozen prehistoric forms of primitive life forms, as must occur from the melting of permafrost, we should expect more pandemics!The time of easy life in developed countries is behind us and life will be dizzyingly fast with uncertain directions, flexibility and diversification that are almost unpredictable. Luckily, the imagination of chemists is without limits, (primarily due to the chemical common sens and per se sustainable chemical education on universities) which provides optimism, security and sustainability to everyone because: “Chemistry (is) for Life®”.Poster presented at: ACS Fall 2022 Conference-Sustainability in a Changing Word, 21/08/2022, Chicago, ILAbstract: [https://cer.ihtm.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/5507

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

Application of Bioremediation in Reducing the Content of Hydrocarbons in Soil Polluted from Fuel Oil

A big percentage of soil and water pollution comes from accidental spillage during exploitation, transport, processing, storage, and extensive use of petroleum. One of the technologies that are increasingly used in the world for the remediation of polluted environments, primarily soil, is bioremediation (use of non-pathogenic microorganisms that use organic pollutants as a source of nutrients).The main objective of this investigation was to answer whether it is possible in the applied conditions of bioremediation to successfully purify the soil contaminated with hydrocarbons from fuel oil? In this study, ex-situ bioremediation was performed on the soil from different areas in Serbia contaminated with waste oils from petroleum products. The ex-situ bioremediation process was performed at the BREM plant in Dobanovci (N 44°48′52.42″ E 20°13′13.08″). Bio-pile for bioremediation was made on a waterproof asphalt surface. Sampling was performed from the bio-piles before/and after bioremediation and from control bio-piles (without added microorganisms) and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) were gravimetrically determined according to Beškoski et al. (2011). For the determination of petroleum hydrocarbons, gas chromatography (GC) was used. The content of TPH, obtained by the gravimetric method, for the sample before bioremediation and the control sample was around 22%, while TPH content for the soil sample after bioremediation was 1.62%. The TPH content decreased by 92.9 % in the bioremediation process, while in the control sample it decreased by only 3.02%. GC-analysis shows a significant decrease, the content of hydrocarbons with 17C and 18C atoms (pristane and phytane). The applied bioremediation procedure has significantly reduced the TPH content, which indicates that the soil contaminated with fuel oil was successfully cleaned.Poster: [https://cer.ihtm.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/7448

Poster: "Application of Bioremediation in Reducing the Content of Hydrocarbons in Soil Polluted from Fuel Oil"

A big percentage of soil and water pollution comes from accidental spillage during exploitation, transport, processing, storage, and extensive use of petroleum. One of the technologies that are increasingly used in the world for the remediation of polluted environments, primarily soil, isbioremediation (use of non-pathogenic microorganisms that use organic pollutants as a source of nutrients).The main objective of this investigation was to answer whether it is possible in the applied conditions of bioremediation to successfully purify the soil contaminated with hydrocarbons from fuel oil? In this study, ex-situ bioremediation was performed on the soil from different areas in Serbia contaminated with waste oils from petroleum products. The ex-situ bioremediation process was performed at the BREM plant in Dobanovci (N 44°48′52.42″ E 20°13′13.08″). Bio-pile for bioremediation was made on a waterproof asphalt surface. Sampling was performed from the bio-piles before/and after bioremediation and from control bio-piles(without added microorganisms) and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) were gravimetrically determined according to Beškoski et al. (2011). For the determination of petroleum hydrocarbons, gas chromatography (GC) was used. The content of TPH, obtained by the gravimetric method, forthe sample before bioremediation and the control sample was around 22%, while TPH content for the soil sample after bioremediation was 1.62%. The TPH content decreased by 92.9 % in the bioremediation process, while in the control sample it decreased by only 3.02%. GC-analysis showsa significant decrease, the content of hydrocarbons with 17C and 18C atoms (pristane and phytane). The applied bioremediation procedure has significantly reduced the TPH content, which indicates that the soil contaminated with fuel oil was successfully cleaned.Abstract: [https://cer.ihtm.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/7447]Poster presented at: 5th World Conference on Sustainable Life Sciences (WOCOLS 2023), 07-10 December 2023 Cappadocia, Turke