Bioremediation of marine sediments impacted by petroleum.

The aim of this work was to optimize the bioremediation of crude oil-contaminated sand sediment through the biostimulation technique. The soil was obtained in the mid-tide zone of Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and was artificially contaminated with crude oil at 14 g kg(-1). Bioremediation optimization was performed using an experimental design and statistical analysis of the following factors: supplementation with commercial biosurfactant Jeneil IBR 425 and commercial mineral NPK fertilizer. The response variable used was the biodegradation of the heavy oil fraction, HOF. The analysis of the studied factors and their interactions was executed using contour plots, Pareto diagram and ANOVA table. Experimental design results indicated that the supplementation with fertilizer at 100:25:25 C/N/P ratio and biosurfactant at 2 g kg(-1) yielded biodegradation of HOF at about 30% during 30 days of process. Some experiments were carried out using the experimental design results, yielding 65% of biodegradation of HOF and 100% of n- alkanes between C15 and C30 during 60 process days. Intrinsic biodegradation test was carried out, yielding 85% of biodegradation of n-alkanes between C15 and C30 during 30 days of process.

Biosurfactants production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa FR using palm oil.

Biosurfactants production by a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa using palm oil as a sole carbon source was investigated. The experiments were carried out in 500-mL conical flasks containing 100 mL of mineral media supplemented with palm oil as the sole carbon source. The P. aeruginosa FR strain was able to reduce surface tension of three tested inorganic media. Rotation velocities from 100 to 150 rpm provided free-cell fermented media with the lowest surface tension of approx 33 mN/m. Emulsification index results of even 100% were achieved when diesel was used as oil phase. Eight surface-active compounds produced by the bacterium were identified by mass spectrometry.

Biosurfactants production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa FR using palm oil.

Biosurfactants production by a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa using palm oil as a sole carbon source was investigated. The experiments were carried out in 500-mL conical flasks containing 100 mL of mineral media supplemented with palm oil as the sole carbon source. The P. aeruginosa FR strain was able to reduce surface tension of three tested inorganic media. Rotation velocities from 100 to 150 rpm provided free-cell fermented media with the lowest surface tension of approx 33 mN/m. Emulsification index results of even 100% were achieved when diesel was used as oil phase. Eight surface-active compounds produced by the bacterium were identified by mass spectrometry.

Performance of an internal-loop airlift bioreactor for treatment of hexane-contaminated air.

Hexane is a toxic volatile organic compound that is quite abundant in gas emissions from chemical industries and printing press and painting centers, and it is necessary to treat these airstreams before they discharge into the atmosphere. This article presents a treatment for hexane-contaminated air in steady-state conditions using an internal-loop airlift bioreactor inoculated with a Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain. Bioprocesses were conducted at 20-mL/min, a load of 1.26 gm3 of C6H14, and a temperature of 28 degrees C. The results of hexane removal efficiencies were presented as a function of the inoculum size (approx 0.07 and 0.2 g/L) and cell reuse. Bioprocess monitoring comprises quantification of the biomass, the surface tension of the medium, and the hexane concentration in the fermentation medium as well as in the inlet and outlet airstreams. The steady-state results suggest that the variation in inoculum size from 0.07 to 0.2 g/L promotes hexane abatement from the influent from 65 to 85%, respectively. Total hydrocarbon removal from the waste gas was achieved during experiments conducted using reused cells at an initial microbial concentration of 0.2 g/L.

Increase in removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during bioremediation of crude oil-contaminated sandy soil.

A 23 full factorial experimental design was adopted to estimate the effects of three variables on the biodegradation of oil during soil bioremediation: bioaugmentation seeding a mixed culture, addition of fertilizer or mineral media, and correction of initial pH of the soil to 7.0. The tests were carried out in polyvinyl chloride reactors with 5.0 kg of crude oil-contaminated soil at 14 g/kg. After screening the variables, soil bioremediation tests were conduced with varied C:N ratios, yielding an increase in biodegradation of the oil heavy fraction from 24 to 65%, consumption of total n-paraffins, and a remarkable decrease in the concentration of residual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons of the soil.

Lipopeptide surfactant production by Bacillus subtilis grown on low-cost raw materials.

The production of biosurfactant by Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 was investigated using commercial sugar, sugarcane juice and cane molasses, sugarcane juice alcohol stillage, glycerol, mannitol, and soybean oil. Commercial sugar generated the minimum values of surface tension, with the best results (28.7 mN/m, (relative critical micelle concentration [CMC-1] of 78.6) being achieved with 10 g of substrate/L in 48 h. At a pH between 7.0 and 8.0, a higher production of surface-active compounds and a greater emulsifier activity was also observed. Enrichment of the culture medium with trace minerals and EDTA showed maximum yields, whereas supplementation with yeast extract stimulated only cell growth. The kinetic studies revealed that biosurfactant production is a cell growth-associated process; surface tension, CMC, and emulsification index values of 29.6 dyn/cm, 82.3, and 57%, respectively, were achieved, thus indicating that it is feasible to produce biosurfactants from a renewable and low-cost carbon source.