Effective selenium volatilization under aerobic conditions and recovery from the aqueous phase by Pseudomonas stutzeri NT-I.

Selenium is an important rare metal and its recovery from waste and wastewater is necessary for its sustainable utilization. Microbial selenium volatilization is suitable for selenium recovery from industrial wastewater because volatile selenium can be recovered in recyclable forms free from other chemicals. We found that Pseudomonas stutzeri NT-I can aerobically transform selenate, selenite, and biogenic elemental selenium into dimethyldiselenide as well as dimethylselenide; these were temporarily accumulated in the aqueous phase and then transferred into the gaseous phase. The rate of selenium volatilization using strain NT-I ranged 6.5-7.6 µmol/L/h in flask experiments and was much higher than the rates reported previously for other microbes. The selenium volatilization rate accelerated to 14 µmol/L/h in a jar fermenter. Furthermore, 82% of the selenium volatilized using strain NT-I was recovered with few impurities within 48 h in a simple gas trap with nitric acid, demonstrating that strain NT-I is a promising biocatalyst for selenium recovery through biovolatilization from the aqueous phase.

Anticancer activities of thelephantin O and vialinin A isolated from Thelephora aurantiotincta.

Thelephora aurantiotincta is an edible mushroom belonging to the genus Thelephora; it grows in symbiosis with pine trees. Recently, phytochemical investigations have revealed that the genus Thelephora is an abundant source of p-terphenyl derivatives. However, their bioactivity has not yet been well characterized. In screening for natural materials with anticancer activity, a T. aurantiotincta ethanol extract (TAE) was found to decrease cell viability in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2). In this study, a new p-terphenyl derivative, thelephantin O, and a known compound, vialinin A, were isolated as the principal bioactive components of TAE. These compounds decreased cell viability in HepG2 and human colonic carcinoma cells (Caco2), but not in noncancerous human hepatocytes. This is the first report of the isolation from T. aurantiotincta of selective cytotoxic agents against cancer cells.

Characterization of Pseudomonas stutzeri NT-I capable of removing soluble selenium from the aqueous phase under aerobic conditions.

Pseudomonas stutzeri strain NT-I was isolated from the drainage wastewater of a selenium refinery plant. This bacterium efficiently reduced selenate to elemental selenium without prolonged accumulation of selenite under aerobic conditions. Strain NT-I was able to reduce selenate completely at high concentrations (up to 10 mM) and selenite almost completely (up to 9 mM). In addition, higher concentrations of selenate and selenite were substantially reduced. Activity was observed under the following experimental conditions: 20-50°C, pH 7-9, and 0.05-20 g L(-1) NaCl for selenate reduction, and 20-50°C, pH 6-9, and 0.05-50 g L(-1) NaCl for selenite reduction. Under anaerobic conditions, selenate was reduced more rapidly, whereas selenite was not reduced at all. The high selenate- and selenite-reducing capability at high concentrations suggested that strain NT-I is suitable for the removal of selenium from high-strength industrial wastewater.