Isolation and characterization of biosurfactant producing and oil degrading Bacillus subtilis MG495086 from formation water of Assam oil reservoir and its suitability for enhanced oil recovery.

The strains isolated from the formation water were characterized and screened considering their crude oil degradation capability and biosurfactant production ability. The growth kinetics study of isolated Bacillus subtilis MG495086 was carried out by varying growth parameters i.e. carbon source, temperature, pH and salinity. The biosurfactant production was optimized adopting RSM-CCD considering carbon source (1-5%), pH (3-11) and temperature (25-65 °C) as matrix parameters. The optimum biosurfactant production (6.3 ±â€¯0.1 g/L) and the minimum surface tension 29.85 mN/m were obtained after 96 h of incubation under optimal conditions i.e. 3.8% (v/v) of light-paraffin oil as sole carbon source at 62.4 °C and pH 7.7 with the maximum oil degradation capability of 91.3 ±â€¯5%. Critical micelle concentration value of crude biosurfactant was found to be 40 mg/L with high emulsification activity of 72.45 ±â€¯0.85%. The produced biosurfactant was identified as lipopeptide (Surfactin) and characterized using various analytical techniques to establish its suitability for microbial enhanced oil recovery.

Comparison of chlordecone and NDL-PCB decontamination dynamics in growing male kids after cessation of oral exposure: Is there a potential to decrease the body levels of these pollutants by dietary supplementation of activated carbon or paraffin oil?

Sixteen weaned male Alpine kids (Capra hircus) were subjected to a 21-day oral daily exposure of 0.05 mg kg-1 BW. d-1 of chlordecone (CLD) and 0.30 µg kg-1 BW. d-1 of each non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (NDL-PCBs, congeners 28, 52, 101, 138, 153 and 180). Four kids, identified as the CONTA group, were slaughtered at the end of the exposure, while the remaining animals (n = 12) were fed with specific diets for an additional 21-day decontamination period before slaughtering. Kids from the DECONTA (n = 4) group were fed a control diet, while those from the AC10% and PO8% group received pellets supplemented with 10% activated carbon (AC) and 8% paraffin oil (PO), respectively. CLD and NDL-PCB levels in blood, liver, peri-renal fat and muscles from different groups were analysed to compare the decontamination dynamics of the pollutants and to determine the efficiency of AC and PO to decrease the body levels of pollutants. After the decontamination period, the CLD levels considerably decreased (more than 60%) in blood, liver, muscles and fat. Concerning NDL-PCBs, the decontamination process was much lower. Overall, CLD appeared to be less retained in kids' organism compared with NDL-PCBs, and the decontamination dynamics of these pollutants appeared to be different because of their specific physicochemical properties and lipophilicity. Furthermore, the dietary supplementation with AC or PO did not significantly affect the decontamination dynamics.

Isolation and characterization of a novel paraffin wax-degrading bacterium, Pseudomonas sp strain PW-1, from petroleum-contaminated sites.

An isolate capable of degrading paraffin wax was isolated from petroleum-contaminated sites in Daqing, China, and identified as Pseudomonas sp strain PW-1 by analyzing the 16S rDNA sequence (GenBank accession No.: KF529529) as well as the biochemical and physiological characteristics. The optimized degradation conditions of the isolate were as follows: FeSO4 metal ion concentration of 0.01 g, temperature of 30°C, (NH4)2SO4 nitrogen source concentration of 1.5 g/L, and a carbon: nitrogen ratio of 10:1. Response surface methodology-based analysis of the culture time, inoculation amount, and initial pH of the medium revealed that the optimal theoretical conditions were a culture time of 11.16 days, inoculation amount of 3.13%, and an initial pH of 9.29. The theoretical degradation rate was up to 54.68% under the optimal conditions. Taking into account the experimental conditions of a laboratory, 11.2 days of cultivating time, 3% inoculum, and a medium initial pH of 9.3 were used in practical settings. Experimental results showed that the degradation rate of paraffin wax was 52.85%, which demonstrated that this strain could degrade 1050 mg paraffin wax, using it as the sole carbon source, in a 1000-mL minimal salts medium. These results indicate that the strain PW1 can be used for application in oil wells with paraffin deposition problems in order to enhance oil recovery.

[Resistance of the petroleum-oxidizing microorganism Dietzia sp. to hyperosmotic shock in reconstituted biofilms].

A number of halotolerant and halophilic bacterial strains were isolated from the Romashkinskoe oil field (Tatarstan) stratal waters having a salinity of up to 100 g/l. The isolation of pure cultures involved biofilm reconstitution on M9 medium with paraffins. The associations obtained were dispersed and reinoculated onto solid media that contained either peptone and yeast extract (PY) or paraffins. It was shown that such associations included both oil-oxidizing bacteria and accompanying chemoheterotrophic bacteria incapable of oil oxidation. The pure cultures that were isolated were used for creating binary biofilms. In these biofilms, interactions between halophilic and nonhalophilic bacteria under hypo- and hyperosmotic shocks were investigated. We conducted a detailed study of a biofilm obtained from an oil-oxidizing halotolerant species (with an upper growth limit of 10-12% NaCl) identified as Dietzia sp. and an extremely halophilic gram-negative bacterium (growing within the 5-20% NaCl concentration range) of the genus Chromohalobacter that did not oxidize paraffins. If these microorganisms were grown in a mixed suspension (planktonic) culture that was not supplemented with an additional amount of NaCl, no viable cells of the halophilic microorganism were detected after reinoculation. In contrast, only halophilic cells were detected at a NaCl concentration of 15%. Thus, no mutual protective influence of the microorganisms manifested itself in suspension culture, either under hypo- or under hyperosmotic shock. Neither could the halophile cells be detected after reinoculating a biofilm obtained on a peptone medium without addition of NaCl. However, biofilms produced at a NaCl concentration of 15% contained approximately equal numbers of cells of the halophilic and halotolerant organisms. Thus, the halophile in biofilms sustaining a hyperosmotic shock exerts a protective influence on the halotolerant microorganism. Preliminary data suggest that this effect is due to release by the halophile of osmoprotective substances (ectoine and glutamate), which are taken up by the halotolerant species. Such substances are diluted by a large medium volume in suspension cultures, whereas, in biofilms, their diffusion into the medium is apparently hampered by their interaction with the intercellular polymer matrix.

[Bioremediation of oil-polluted soil with an association including the fungus Pleurotus ostreatus and soil microflora].

The possibility of application of the Pleurotus ostreatus D1-soil microflora to bioremediation of oil-polluted soils was studied. The fungus degraded mainly the aromatic fraction, whereas soil microflora intensely degraded paraffin and naphthene oil fractions. Introduction of the fungus Pleurotus ostreatus D to soil induces degradation of a wider range of oil hydrocarbons. It is reasonable to further investigate the discovered phenomenon in order to improve procedures of remediation of oil-polluted soils.

Lipid uptake and skin occlusion following topical application of oils on adult and infant skin.

BACKGROUND: Topical application of oils and oil-based formulations is common practice in skin care for both adults and infants. Only limited knowledge however is available regarding skin penetration and occlusive potential of oils and common methods for measuring skin moisturization fall short when it comes to the moisturizing effect of oils. OBJECTIVE: In this study we used in vivo confocal Raman microspectroscopy to test the efficacy of paraffin oil (mineral oil) and two vegetable oils in terms of skin penetration and occlusion. Petrolatum was used as a positive control. METHODS: The products were applied topically on the forearms of nine volunteers and seven infants and Raman spectra were acquired before and at 30 and 90 min following application. Depth concentration profiles for lipid and water were calculated from the Raman spectra. Skin occlusion was assessed from the amount of stratum corneum (SC) swelling measured from the water concentration profiles. RESULTS: The paraffin oil and the vegetable oils penetrate the top layers of the SC with similar concentration profiles, a result that was confirmed both for adult and infant skin. The three oils tested demonstrated modest SC swelling (10-20%) compared to moderate swelling (40-60%) for petrolatum. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that there is no statistical difference between the paraffin oil and vegetable oils in terms of skin penetration and skin occlusion. The results for petrolatum show that in vivo confocal Raman microspectroscopy is sensitive and specific enough to measure both lipid uptake and skin occlusion events following topical application.

Isolation and characterization of a potential paraffin-wax degrading thermophilic bacterial strain Geobacillus kaustophilus TERI NSM for application in oil wells with paraffin deposition problems.

Paraffin deposition problems, that have plagued the oil industry, are currently remediated by mechanical and chemical means. However, since these methods are problematic, a microbiological approach has been considered. The bacteria, required for the mitigation of paraffin deposition problems, should be able to survive the high temperatures of oil wells and degrade the paraffins under low oxygen and nutrient conditions while sparing the low carbon chain paraffins. In this study, a thermophilic paraffinic wax degrading bacterial strain was isolated from a soil sample contaminated with paraffinic crude oil. The selected strain, Geobacillus TERI NSM, could degrade 600mg of paraffinic wax as the sole carbon source in 1000ml minimal salts medium in 7d at 55 degrees C. This strain was identified as Geobacillus kaustophilus by fatty acid methyl esters analysis and 16S rRNA full gene sequencing. G. kaustophilus TERI NSM showed 97% degradation of eicosane, 85% degradation of pentacosane and 77% degradation of triacontane in 10d when used as the carbon source. The strain TERI NSM could also degrade the paraffins of crude oil collected from oil wells that had a history of paraffin deposition problems.

Solid state "self-calibrated" EPR-dosimeters-advantageous and shortcomings.

EPR dosimetry method with alpha-alanine as radiation sensitive material (RSM) is widely used in high dose dosimetry laboratories. However, it is not suitable for routine industrial applications mainly because of difficult EPR measurement procedure. In order to simplify quantitative EPR dosimetry measurements Yordanov and Gancheva developed so-called "self-calibrated" (sc) dosimeters consists of RSM (alpha-alanine, sugar, other ones), Mn2+/MgO as internal EPR intensity standard (IES) and a binder. The aim of this work was to check dosimetric properties of two experimental batches of sc EPR dosimeters with alpha-alanine and sugar as RSM, Mn2+/MgO as IES and paraffin as a binder. The percentage content of the components was 60, 5 and 35% (w/w), respectively. It was established that the investigated alanine sc-dosimeters are about two times more sensitive than the sugar ones. The dose-response coefficient, K(dr) of sc-alanine dosimeters was stable in all investigated dose range from 1 to 23 kGy. The K(dr)-value of sugar sc-dosimeters decreased with the dose what was in a contradiction to the results pointed to the high stability of radiation generated sugar radicals. The observed effect arose probably from the special chemical procedure used for the sc-sugar dosimeters production. The results confirmed an expectation that the position of sc dosimeter in the cavity is not important factor for accurate dose evaluation. It allows to read-out dosimetric signals in shorter time, with lower uncertainty and on less sophisticate EPR-spectrometers than that commonly used till now. The main shortcomings of sc dosimeters are: (a) the limitation of RSM suitable for sc dosimeters to these ones having strictly linear signal to dose characteristic; (b) necessity to assure very good homogeneity of dosimeter material; and (c) the cost of IES present in the amount of some percent in each sc dosimeter.

Pseudohomogeneous kinetic study on a two-liquid-phase fermentation process.

The fermentation process for producing undecane dicarboxylic acid from tridecane, which includes gas-oil-water-cell four phases (two-liquid-phase), was studied. The metabolic characters of the cell growth phase and the production phase of the process were analyzed. It was proposed that cell growth can be identified by the carbon dioxide production rate (CPR) before the production phase. The kinetic models of both the cell growth phase and the production phase were established, respectively. The parameters of the models have been estimated by regression. The calculated curves fit the experimental data very well. The average deviation between those over the cell growth phase and the production phase are 2.4% and 3.6%, respectively.

[Role of yeasts of the genus Candida in the transformation of the hydrocarbon energy in oil-contaminated gray-brown soil]. / O roli drozhzhei roda Candida v transformatsii énergii uglevodorodov v neftezagriaznennoi sero-buroi pochve.

Energy transformation was studied in the processes of hydrocarbon metabolism by microorganisms in oil-contaminated grey-brown soil. For such microbial populations as Candida species which use hydrocarbon substrates only as an energy source but not for growth, the criteria of biomass or incidence are presumed to have a relative significance for revealing the comparative functional role of these populations in the self-purification of oil-contaminated soils. Therefore, it is necessary to simultaneously assay both the incidence and the functional activity of microorganisms expressed in terms of respiration intensity. A diagram is proposed which shows the role of Candida yeasts in transforming the energy of aromatic and paraffin hydrocarbons in oil-contaminated soils.