Photo-catalytic dye degradation potentials of Ag-Pd bimetallic nanoparticles synthesized from Vitex negundo.

Plant extracts are a great alternative to synthesizing nanoparticles of different metals and metal oxides. This green synthesis method has opened up numerous possibilities in various scientific domains. In present study, Leaf extract from Vitex negundo is a non-deciduous, long-lasting shrub from the Verbenaceae family is used as capping and reducing agents for the synthesis of silver and palladium nanoparticles. The characterization study UV-vis spectrophotometer analysis showed absorbance value around 320 nm which confirming that Ag-Pd nanoparticles have been successfully obtained. Further, SEM is used to investigate the morphology of Ag-Pd NPs, which revealing their spherical and rod-like configuration, aggregation, and the size of the particles are obtained between 50 and 100 nm. The successful synthesis of Ag-Pd NPs was further confirmed by the EDAX chart, which displayed the peak of Ag and Pd at bending energies between 0.5 and 1.5 keV. According to the quantitative study, Ag and Pd ions found about 5.24 and 13.28%, respectively. In addition, surface studies with TEM confirming that synthesized Ag-Pd NPs are predominates with spheres structure morphologies, with sizes averaging 11.20 nm and ranging from 10 to 20 nm. Further, Ag-Pd nanoparticles was applied as potential photocatalyst materials to degrade methylene blue dye and found about 85% of the degradation efficiency within 150 min of the sunlight exposure thus could be used as catalyst to removal of hazardous organic dye molecules.

Significance of LED lights in enhancing the production of vinegar using Acetobacter pasteurianus AP01.

Vinegar is a common food additive produced by acetic acid bacteria (AAB) during fermentation process. Low yield and long incubation time in conventional vinegar fermentation processes has inspired research in developing efficient fermentation techniques by the activation of AAB for acetic acid production. The present study intends to enhance vinegar production using acetic acid bacteria and light emitting diode (LED). A total of eight acetic acid bacteria were isolated from Korean traditional vinegar and assessed for vinegar production. Isolate AP01 exhibited maximum vinegar production and was identified as Acetobacter pasteurianus based on the 16S rRNA sequences. The optimum fermentation conditions for the isolate AP01 was incubation under static condition at 30 °C for 10 days with 6% initial ethanol concentration. Fermentation under red LED light exhibited maximum vinegar production (3.6%) compared to green (3.5%), blue (3.2%), white (2.2%), and non-LED lights (3.0%). Vinegar produced using red LED showed less toxicity to mouse macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7) and high inhibitory effects on nitric oxide and IL-6 production. The results confirmed that red LED light could be used to increase the yield and decrease incubation time in vinegar fermentation process.

Portulaca grandiflora as green roof vegetation: Plant growth and phytoremediation experiments.

Finding appropriate rooftop vegetation may improve the quality of runoff from green roofs. Portulaca grandiflora was examined as possible vegetation for green roofs. Green roof substrate was found to have low bulk density (360.7 kg/m3) and high water-holding capacity (49.4%), air-filled porosity (21.1%), and hydraulic conductivity (5270 mm/hour). The optimal substrate also supported the growth of P. grandiflora with biomass multiplication of 450.3% and relative growth rate of 0.038. Phytoextraction potential of P. grandiflora was evaluated using metal-spiked green roof substrate as a function of time and spiked substrate metal concentration. It was identified that P. grandiflora accumulated all metals (Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Zn) from metal-spiked green roof substrate. At the end of 40 days, P. grandiflora accumulated 811 ± 26.7, 87.2 ± 3.59, 416 ± 15.8, 459 ± 15.6, 746 ± 20.9, 357 ± 18.5, 565 ± 6.8, and 596 ± 24.4 mg/kg of Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn, respectively. Results also indicated that spiked substrate metal concentration strongly influenced metal accumulation property of P. grandiflora with metal uptake increased and accumulation factor decreased with increase in substrate metal concentration. P. grandiflora also showed potential to translocate all the examined metals with translocation factor greater than 1 for Al, Cu, Fe, and Zn, indicating hyperaccumulation property.

Synergistic effect of chelators and Herbaspirillum sp. GW103 on lead phytoextraction and its induced oxidative stress in Zea mays.

Phytoremediation is an in situ, low-cost strategy for cleanup of the sites contaminated with heavy metals. Experiments were conducted to assess the impact of synthetic chelators and plant growth-promoting rhizosphere bacteria (Herbaspirillum sp. GW103) on heavy metal lead (Pb) uptake in Z. mays cultivated in Pb-contaminated soil. The present study investigated the Pb phytoaccumulation rate and plant antioxidant enzyme activities in Z. mays exposed to 100 mg/kg of PbNO3. The combination of gluconic acid (GA) with Herbaspirillum sp. GW103 treatment showed higher Pb solubility (18.9 mg/kg) compared with other chelators. The chemical chelators showed the significant difference in phytoaccumulation as well as antioxidant enzyme activities. The antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities changed under Pb stress. The study indicated that increased activity of antioxidant enzymes may play as signal inducers to fight against Pb.

Heavy metals accumulation in crab and shrimps from Pulicat lake, north Chennai coastal region, southeast coast of India.

The accumulation of heavy metals such as lead (Pb), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), and chromium (Cr) was examined in crab (Scylla serrata) and shrimps (Penaeus semisulcatus, Penaeus indicus, and Penaeus monodon) collected from Pulicat lake that receives effluents from industries located in north Chennai, southeast coast of India. The results showed limited difference between crab and prawns as well as significant variations between the organs. Pb is the highly accumulated metal in both crab and shrimps, except P. monodon. The highest metal concentration was mostly found in the liver followed by other organs. The concentration of metals in edible parts (muscle) was within the permissible level and safe for consumption. However, the results of the study clearly indicate the biomagnification of metals in Pulicat lake.

Isolation and Characterization of Multi-Metal-Resistant Halomonas sp. MG from Tamil Nadu Magnesite Ore Soil in India.

The aim of the study was to isolate and characterize potential multi-metal-resistant bacteria from ore soils. A total of three bacteria were isolated and assayed for resistance to arsenic (As), copper (Cu), and lead (Pb). Isolate Halomonas sp. MG exhibited maximum resistance to 1000 mg Pb/L, 800 mg As/L, and 500 mg Cu/L and it was identified as Halomonas sp. based on the partial 16S rDNA sequences. The metal(loid)s resistance mechanisms were further confirmed by amplification of arsC (As) copAU (Cu), and pbrT (Pb) genes. Biological transmission electron micrographs and XRD studies showed that the isolate Halomonas sp. MG transformed and/or biomineralized the metals either intracellularly or extracellularly. These results suggest that the isolate could be used as a potential candidate for the bioremediation of As, Cu, and Pb.

Relative Expression of Low Molecular Weight Protein, Tyrosine Phosphatase (Wzb Gene) of Herbaspirillum sp. GW103 Toward Arsenic Stress and Molecular Modeling.

This study investigated the expression rate and molecular modeling of Wzb gene, a low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatase, under As stress in Herbaspirillum sp. GW103. Expression of Wzb gene was quantified at transcriptional level through real-time quantitative PCR. The results showed up- and down-regulations of Wzb gene in the presence of As (50 and 100 mg/L). The maximum Wzb transcript expression was 1.2-fold after 72 h exposure to 50 mg/L of As. However, the minimum expression was 0.1-fold after 48 h exposure to 100 mg/L of As. The Wzb protein sequence was retrieved from NCBI sequence database and was used for in silico analysis. 3D structure of Wzb gene was predicted by comparative modeling using modeler 9v9. Further, the model was validated for its quality by Ramachandran plot, ERRAT, Verify 3D, and SAVES server which revealed structure and quality of the Wzb gene model.

The influence of the earthworm Lampito mauritii (Kinberg) on the activity of selected soil enzymes in cadmium-amended soil.

The effects of cadmium (CdCl2·7H2O) on cellulase, urease, amylase, invertase and phosphatase were assessed for a period of 45 days in the presence and absence of earthworms [Lampito mauritii (Kinberg)] in alfisol soil. The activities of all enzymes significantly increased with longer incubation times (45 days) under laboratory conditions in both control and Cd-amended soils (both with and without earthworm incubation). However, the activities of all enzymes decreased with increasing Cd concentrations under laboratory conditions, both in the presence and absence of earthworms. In the presence of earthworms, cellulase, urease, invertase and amylase activities increased. However, phosphatase activity was lower in most of the Cd-amended soils in the presence of earthworms compared to its activity levels in soils lacking earthworms. These results show that earthworms modulated the stress imposed by Cd by providing suitable substrates, which in turn acted as stimulants for extracellular enzyme secretion by microbes, and by removing Cd through its accumulation in the tissues of the earthworms.

Statistical optimization of alkaline protease production from brackish environment Bacillus sp. SKK11 by SSF using horse gram husk.

Protease production by Bacillus sp. SKK11 isolated from brackish environment was studied by solid-state fermentation with horse gram husk. Response surface methodology-based Box-Behnken design (BBD) was used to optimize the variables such as pH, maltose, and MgSO4. The BBD design analysis showed a reasonable adjustment of the quadratic model with the experimental data. Statistics-based contour and three-dimensional (3-D) plots were generated to evaluate the changes in the response surface and to understand the relationship between the enzyme yield and the culture conditions. The maximum yield of the enzyme was observed at pH 9.0.

Biodegradation of BTEX mixture by Pseudomonas putida YNS1 isolated from oil-contaminated soil.

The presence of mixed contaminants, such as BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene isomers) can affect the biodegradation, fate and environmental impacts of each compound. To understand the influence of interactions among BTEX compounds on their biodegradation, four bacteria were isolated from oil-contaminated soil and assayed for BTEX biodegradation in vitro. The isolate exhibiting maximum biodegradation was identified as Pseudomonas putida based on the 16S rDNA sequence. The biodegradation of the BTEX compounds was greatly influenced by pH, temperature, and salinity. Substrate mixture studies (binary, tertiary and quaternary) revealed that the presence of toluene increased the biodegradation rate of benzene, ethylbenzene, and xylene.

Detoxification of malachite green by Pleurotus florida laccase produced under solid-state fermentation using agricultural residues.

Laccase was produced from Pleurotus florida under solid-state fermentation, and the production was optimized by response surface methodology. The predicted maximum laccase production of 8.81 U g(-1) was obtained by the optimum concentration of malt extract, banana peel, wheat bran and CuSO4, which was found to be 0.69 g, 10.61 g, 10.68 g and 77.15 ppm, respectively. The validation results suggested that the laccase production was 7.96 U g(-1) in the optimized medium, which was close to the predicted value. Decolorization efficiency of P. florida laccase was evaluated against malachite green (MG). Rapid decolorization of MG dye was observed, and a dark-coloured precipitate was formed in the reaction mixture. HPLC analysis indicated that the laccase enzyme degraded MG by the demethylation process. The toxicity of MG was reduced to 67% after the treatment with laccase, which was confirmed by a phytotoxicity study.

Characterization of petroleum degrading bacteria and its optimization conditions on effective utilization of petroleum hydrocarbons.

Hydrocarbon contamination is continuing to be a serious environmental problem because of their toxicity. Hydrocarbon components have been known to be carcinogens and neurotoxic organic pollutants. The physical and chemical methods of petroleum removal have become ineffective and also are very costly. Therefore, bioremediation is considered the promising technology for the treatment of these contaminated sites since it is cost-effective and will lead to complete mineralization.The current study also concentrates on bioremediation of petroleum products by bacterium isolated from petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soil. The current work shows that bacterial strains obtained from a petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated environment may degrade petroleum compounds. Two strains Bacillus licheniformis ARMP2 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ARMP8 were identified as petroleum-degrading bacteria of the isolated bacterial colonies. The best growth conditions for the ARMP2 strain were determined to be pH 9, temperature 29 °C with sodium nitrate as its nitrogen source, whereas for the ARMP8 strain the optimal growth was found at pH 7, temperature 39 °C, and ammonium chloride as the nitrogen source. Both strains were shown to be effective at degrading petroleum chemicals confirmed by GCMS. Overall petroleum product degradation efficiency of the strains ARMP2 and ARMP8 was about 88 % and 73 % respectively in 48 h.The strains Bacillus licheniformis ARMP2 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ARMP8 were shown to be effective at degrading petroleum compounds in the current study. Even greater results might be obtained if the organisms were utilised in consortia or the degradation time period was extended.

Integrated approach of photo-assisted electrochemical oxidation and sequential biodegradation of textile effluent.

Synthetic azo dyes are extensively used in the textile industries, which are being released as textile effluent into the environment presence of azo dyes in the environment is great environmental concern therefore treatment of textile effluent is crucial for proper release of the effluent into the environment. Electrochemical oxidation (EO) is extensively used in the degradation of pollutants because of its high efficiency. In this study, photo-assisted electrooxidation (PEO) followed by biodegradation of the textile effluent was evaluated. The pretreatment of textile effluent was conducted by EO and PEO in a tubular flow cell with TiO2-Ti/IrO2-RuO2 anode and titanium cathode under different current densities (10, 15, and 20 mA cm-2). The chemical oxygen demand level reduced from 3150 mg L-1 to 1300 and 600 mg L-1under EO and PEO, respectively. Furthermore, biodegradation of EO and PEO pretreated textile effluent shows reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD) from 1300 mg L-1 to 900 mg L-1and 600 mg L-1to 110 mg L-1, respectively. The most abundant genera were identified as Acetobacter, Achromobacter, Acidaminococcus, Actinomyces, and Acetomicrobium from the textile effluent. This study suggests that an integrated approach of PEO and subsequent biodegradation might be an effective and eco-friendly method for the degradation of textile effluent.

Water-soluble red pigments from Isaria farinosa and structural characterization of the main colored component.

The present study describes the red pigment synthesized by the filamentous fungi Isaria farinosa under submerged culture conditions. The pigment production was optimal under the following conditions: pH 5, agitation speed 150 rpm, temperature 27 °C, incubation time 192 h, light source total darkness, sucrose and glucose as carbon source, yeast extract, meat peptone and monosodium glutamate at a fixed concentration of 3% as nitrogen source. The addition of 10 mM CaCl2 to the culture medium increased the biomass and pigment production. Structural elucidation of the pigment using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed that the red pigment contains an anthraquinone-related compound. In addition, the isolated pigment was water soluble, and was stable when exposed to salt solution (96.1% of stability after treatment with sodium chloride), acid (72.1% with citric acid), heat (86.2% at 60 °C), and sunlight (99.4%). These results are promising to further exploit the fungal culture of Isaria farinosa for producing the red pigment and, subsequently, to considerably increase its yield. The study has commercial importance in the production of Isaria farinosa pigment for industrial application after considerable toxicological examination.

Characterization of ACC deaminase gene in Pseudomonas entomophila strain PS-PJH isolated from the rhizosphere soil.

The enzyme 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase cleaves the ethylene precursor ACC into alpha-ketobutyrate and ammonia. The decreased level of ethylene allows the plant to be more resistant to a wide environmental stress including plant pathogens. In the present study, we characterized the ACC deaminase activity of a Pseudomonas entomophila strain PS-PJH isolated from the red pepper rhizosphere region of red pepper grown at Jinan, Korea. The isolate produced 23.8 +/- 0.4 micromol of alpha-ketobutyrate/mg of protein/h during ACC deamination under in vitro conditions. Polymerase chain reaction for acdS gene showed that the isolated P. entomophila strain PS-PJH carry sequences similar to the known acdS genes. Results of the multiple sequence alignment revealed >99% identity (nucleotide and amino acid) with acdS gene of Pseudomonas putida strains AM15 and UW4. The isolated bacteria promoted 43.3 and 34.1% of growth in Raphanus sativus and Lactuca sativa plants, respectively. Based on the 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer region sequences, the isolate was identified as P. entomophila. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study to report the acdS gene in P. entomophila.

Stability of multi-permeable reactive barriers for long term removal of mixed contaminants.

The Permeable Reactive Barriers (PRBs) are relatively simple, promising technology for groundwater remediation. A PRBs consisting of two reactive barriers (zero valent iron-barrier and bio-barrier) were designed to evaluate the application and feasibility of the barriers for the removal of wide range of pollutants from synthetic water. After 470 days of Multi-PRBs column operation, the pH level in the water sample is increased from 4 to 7, whereas the oxidation reduction potential (ORP) is decreased to -180 mV. Trichloroethylene (TCE), heavy metals, and nitrate were completely removed in the zero valent iron-barrier. Ammonium produced during nitrate reduction is removed in the biologically reactive zone of the column. The results of the present study suggest that Multi-PRBs system is an effective alternate method to confine wide range of pollutants from contaminated groundwater.

Assessment of zero-valent iron as a permeable reactive barrier for long-term removal of arsenic compounds from synthetic water.

Zero-valent iron (ZVI) has great potential to be used as a remediation material for the removal of a wide range of pollutants from groundwater. The present study assessed the potential of ZVI for arsenic remediation by investigating (i) the removal kinetics of arsenic by ZVI in a batch reactor and (ii) the longevity of ZVI to remove arsenic in a flow-through column system which mimics the permeable reactive barrier (PRB) technology. Results of the batch experiments showed an effective removal (99.5%) of arsenic compounds from the synthetic water samples. Based on our kinetic study, the arsenic removals are expected to occur in a timescale of less than a few hours in typical PRB treatment conditions using ZVI (e.g. [ZVI] > 20 g/L and [As] < 1 mg/L). The flow-through columns were continuously operated for 360 days at a flow rate of 2 mL/h. Samples were taken at regular intervals (90, 150, 230 and 360 days) and analysed for total arsenic concentration. The removal rates decreased by (45% in aerobic and 39% in anoxic) after 360 days of operation indicate that the regular replacement of the reactive material would be required for efficient removal of arsenic.

Enhanced Expression and Functional Characterization of the Recombinant Putative Lysozyme-PMAP36 Fusion Protein.

The porcine myeloid antimicrobial peptide (PMAP), one of the cathelicidin family members, contains small cationic peptides with amphipathic properties. We used a putative lysozyme originated from the bacteriophage P22 (P22 lysozyme) as a fusion partner, which was connected to the N-terminus of the PMAP36 peptide, to markedly increase the expression levels of recombinant PMAP36. The PMAP36-P22 lysozyme fusion protein with high solubility was produced in Escherichia coli. The final purified yield was approximately 1.8 mg/L. The purified PMAP36-P22 lysozyme fusion protein exhibited antimicrobial activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus subtilis). Furthermore, we estimated its hemolytic activity against pig erythrocytes as 6% at the high concentration (128 µM) of the PMAP36-P22 lysozyme fusion protein. Compared with the PMAP36 peptide (12%), our fusion protein exhibited half of the hemolytic activity. Overall, our recombinant PMAP36-P22 lysozyme fusion protein sustained the antimicrobial activity with the lower hemolytic activity associated with the synthetic PMAP36 peptide. This study suggests that the PMAP36-P22 lysozyme fusion system could be a crucial addition to the plethora of novel antimicrobials.

Assessment of heavy metals (Cd, Cr and Pb) in water, sediment and seaweed (Ulva lactuca) in the Pulicat Lake, South East India.

The concentrations of three heavy metals chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) were examined in water, sediment and green algae (Ulva lactuca); collected from six different stations at Pulicat Lake, which receives effluents from industries located in North Chennai Coastal region. Concentrations of Cd (64.21 microg g(-1)) and Cr (28.51 microg g(-1)) were found to be high in sediment, whereas in green algae concentration of Pb (8.32 microg g(-1)) was higher than water and sediment samples. The relative abundance of these heavy metals in U. lactuca and sediment were found to be in the order Cd>Cr>Pb, whereas in water the ratio was found to be Cr>Pb>Cd. The seasonal variations in Cd and Pb followed a similar pattern in both seaweeds and sediments, but not in water samples. Spearman correlation coefficient study showed no significant correlation in the concentration of metals in U. lactuca, water and sediment samples.