PLFA analyses of microbial communities associated with PAH-contaminated riverbank sediment.

Sediment contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is widely distributed in aquatic ecosystems. The microbial community structure of riverbank PAH-contaminated sediments was investigated using phospholipid-derived fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. Surface and subsurface riverbank sediment was collected from a highly contaminated site and from an uncontaminated site along the Mahoning River, OH. PAH concentrations, physical sediment characteristics, and other microbial community parameters (biomass as phospholipid phosphate (PLP) and activity) were also measured. PAHs were detected in all samples but were only quantifiable in the contaminated (250 µg/g g(-1)) subsurface sediment. Subsurface samples from both locations showed very similar PLP values and distribution of PLFAs, with 27-37 % of the microbial community structure being composed of sulfate reducing and other anaerobic bacteria. Principal components analysis indicated no correlation between PAH contamination and PLFA diversity. Although PLP and phospholipid fatty acid measurements of bacterial communities did not reflect the environmental differences among sites, the highly PAH-contaminated sediment showed the highest measured microbial activity (reduction of 1,200 nmol INT g(-1) h(-1)), likely from a population adapted to environmental pollutants, rates that are much higher than measured in many uncontaminated soil and sediment systems. These data warrant further investigation into community structure at the genetic level and indicate potential for bioremediation by indigenous microbes.

Fruit pomace and waste frying oil as sustainable resources for the bioproduction of medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates.

Medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates (mcl-PHAs) are biobased and biodegradable alternatives to petrol-derived polymers, whose break-through has been prevented by high production cost. Therefore we investigated whether wastes from the food industry (nine types of fruit pomace including apricots, cherries and grapes, and waste frying oil) could replace the costly sugars and fatty acids typically used as carbon substrates for the bacterial fermentations. A selection of enzyme preparations was tested for converting the residual polysaccharides from the pomaces into fermentable monosaccharides. From the pomace of apricots, cherries and Solaris grapes, 47, 49 and 106gL(-1) glucose were recovered, respectively. Solaris grapes had the highest sugar content whereas apricots contained the fewest growth inhibitors. These two pomaces were assessed for their suitability to produce mcl-PHA in bioreactor. A 2-step fermentation was established with Pseudomonas resinovorans, hydrolyzed pomace as growth substrate and WFO as mcl-PHA precursor. Solaris grapes proved to be a very promising growth substrate, resulting in the production of 21.3gPHA(Lpomace)(-1) compared to 1.4g PHA (L pomace)(-1) for apricots. Finally, capillary zone electrophoresis analyses allowed monitoring of sugar and organic acid uptake during the fermentation on apricots, which led to the discovery of reverse diauxie in P. resinovorans.