Biodeterioration of Compost-Pretreated Polyvinyl Chloride Films by Microorganisms Isolated From Weathered Plastics.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a petroleum-based plastic used in various applications, polluting the environment because of its recalcitrance, large content of additives, and the presence of halogen. In our case study, a new, two-stage biodegradation technology that combined composting process used for PVC pretreatment with a subsequent PVC attack by newly-isolated fungal and bacterial strains under SSF conditions was used for biodegradation of commercial PVC films. The novelty consisted in a combined effect of the two biodegradation processes and the use for augmentation of microbial strains isolated from plastic-polluted environments.

Fungal pretreatment parameters for improving methane generation from anaerobic digestion of corn silage.

Corn silage was treated by white rot fungi (WRF) to investigate the effect of pretreatment on material's ability to produce methane in anaerobic digestion (AD). The selective fungi Pleurotus ostreatus and Dichomitus squalens promoted biogas generation, whereas the non-selective Trametes versicolor and Irpex lacteus had negative effect. Cumulative methane production after 10-day pretreatment with P.

Killing Effect of FZB42 on a pv. (Xcc) Strain Newly Isolated from Cabbage Convar. (L.): A Metabolomic Study.

The potential use of FZB42 for biological control of various phytopathogens has been documented over the past few years, but its antagonistic interactions with xanthomonads has not been studied in detail. Novel aspects in this study consist of close observation of the death of pv. cells in a co-culture with FZB42, and quantification of lipopeptides and a siderophore, bacillibactin, involved in the killing process.

Effect of Agroecological Conditions on Biologically Active Compounds and Metabolome in Carrot.

Carrot serves as a source of health-beneficial phytochemicals for human diet whose content is affected by agroecological conditions. The effect of conventional, integrated and organic farming on ascorbic acid (AA) and α,β-carotene levels of new carrot cultivars Cortina F1 and Afalon F1 was investigated and their metabolomic profiles were measured by direct analysis in real time ion source coupled with a high-resolution mass spectrometer (DART-HRMS). Cortina and Afalon exhibited high levels of AA and total carotenes under all agroecological conditions tested that fluctuated in broad ranges of 215-539 and 173-456 mg AA.

Gene family expansions and transcriptome signatures uncover fungal adaptations to wood decay.

Because they comprise some of the most efficient wood-decayers, Polyporales fungi impact carbon cycling in forest environment. Despite continuous discoveries on the enzymatic machinery involved in wood decomposition, the vision on their evolutionary adaptation to wood decay and genome diversity remains incomplete. We combined the genome sequence information from 50 Polyporales species, including 26 newly sequenced genomes and sought for genomic and functional adaptations to wood decay through the analysis of genome composition and transcriptome responses to different carbon sources.

Biodegradation of Reactive Orange 16 azo dye by simultaneous action of Pleurotus ostreatus and the yeast Candida zeylanoides.

The purpose was to investigate a simultaneous biodegradation of the recalcitrant monoazo dye Reactive Orange 16 (RO16) in a mixed culture consisting of a biofilm of Pleurotus ostreatus-colonizing polyamide carrier and a suspension of the yeast Candida zeylanoides to see their biological interactions and possible synergistic action during degradation. Decolorization in the mixed culture was more effective than in the fungal monoculture, the respective decolorizations reaching 87.5% and 70% on day 11.

Metabolic profiling of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. conglutinans race 2 in dual cultures with biocontrol agents Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Trichoderma harzianum.

There are increasing efforts to identify biocontrol-active microbial metabolites in order to improve strategies for biocontrol of phytopathogens. In this work, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.

Ascorbic Acid and Glucosinolate Levels in New Czech Cabbage Cultivars: Effect of Production System and Fungal Infection.

Nutritional value and disease-preventive effects of cabbage are well-known. Levels of the antioxidant compounds ascorbic acid (AA) and glucosinolates (GSL) in new Czech cabbage cultivars were determined in the context of different production systems. The contents of AA and GSLs in cabbage biomass were determined by HPLC.

Antibiotic Resistance in Czech Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants: Microbial and Molecular Genetic Characterization.

Quantitative changes in antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were investigated in six urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) treating municipal and industrial wastewaters. In a selected WWTP, the fate of ARGs was studied in a 1-year time interval and in two phases of wastewater treatment process. Nine ARGs (tetW, tetO, tetA, tetB, tetM, bla, ermB, sul1, and intl1) were quantified in total and their relative abundance assessed by ARG copies/16SrRNA copies.

Bioreactors based on immobilized fungi: bioremediation under non-sterile conditions.

White-rot fungi are renowned for their remarkable potential to degrade a wide range of organic pollutants. They are applicable in standard bioreactors offering both the use of the continuous mode of action and easy upscaling of the biodegradation process. The recent advance in this field consisted in the use of various fungi and different types of reactors in the treatment of real wastewaters.

Effect of yeasts on biodegradation potential of immobilized cultures of white rot fungi.

The aim was to investigate the effect of yeast organisms on the degradation process by immobilized cultures of ligninolytic fungi. Immobilization was accomplished by 7-day colonization of polyamide mesh with mycelial fragments. Irpex lacteus decolorized >90% of the initial concentration of 150mgl of anthraquinone Remazol Brilliant Blue R dye in three subsequent decolorization cycles and the degradation capacity was not negatively affected by the presence of 10Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells per ml in the mixed culture.

Effect of bacteria on the degradation ability of Pleurotus ostreatus.

White-rot fungi are efficient degraders of lignin whose extracellular enzymes have a potential to degrade organopollutants. In natural conditions these fungi enter into interactions with other organisms, which may affect their biodegradation capacity. The aim was to investigate the ability of Pleurotus ostreatus to form stable biofilms and to test the capacity of the fungus to degrade Remazol Brilliant Blue R in mixed cultures with bacteria.

Mutual interactions of Pleurotus ostreatus with bacteria of activated sludge in solid-bed bioreactors.

White rot fungi are well known for their ability to degrade xenobiotics in pure cultures but few studies focus on their performance under bacterial stress in real wastewaters. This study investigated mutual interactions in co-cultures of Pleurotus ostreatus and activated sludge microbes in batch reactors and different culture media. Under the bacterial stress an increase in the dye decolorization efficiency (95 vs.

Biodegradation and detoxification potential of rotating biological contactor (RBC) with Irpex lacteus for remediation of dye-containing wastewater.

Use of fungal organisms in rotating biological contactors (RBC) for bioremediation of liquid industrial wastes has so far been limited in spite of their significant biodegradation potential. The purpose was to investigate the power of RBC using Irpex lacteus for decolorization and detoxification of industrial dyes and dyeing textile liquors. Recalcitrant dye Methylene Blue (150 mg L(-1)) was decolorized within 70 days, its mutagenicity removed, and the biological toxicity decreased more than 10-fold.

The use of the fungus Dichomitus squalens for degradation in rotating biological contactor conditions.

Biodegradation potential of Dichomitus squalens in biofilm cultures and rotating biological contactor (RBC) was investigated. The fungus formed thick biofilms on inert and lignocellulosic supports and exhibited stable activities of laccase and manganese peroxidase to reach 40-62 and 25-32% decolorization of anthraquinone Remazol Brilliant Blue R and heterocyclic phthalocyanine dyes, respectively. The decolorization ceased when glucose concentration dropped to 1 mmol l(-1).

Potential of combined fungal and bacterial treatment for color removal in textile wastewater.

Low efficiency of dye removal by mixed bacterial communities and high rates of dye decolorization by white-rot fungi suggest a combination of both processes to be an option of treatment of textile wastewaters containing dyes and high concentrations of organics. Bacteria were able to remove mono-azo dye but not other chemically different dyes whereas decolorization rates using Irpex lacteus mostly exceeded 90% within less than one week irrespective of dye structure. Decolorization rates for industrial textile wastewaters containing 2-3 different dyes by fungal trickling filters (FTF) attained 91%, 86%, 35% within 5-12 d.

Ecotoxicity monitoring of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil during bioremediation: a case study.

The ecotoxicity of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil originating from a brownfield site was evaluated during a 17-month biodegradation pilot test. The initial concentration of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) in the soil was 6380 microg/g dry weight. An amount of 200 kg soil was inoculated with 1.

The implication of Dichomitus squalens laccase isoenzymes in dye decolorization by immobilized fungal cultures.

The study focuses on the production of ligninolytic enzymes and dye degradation capacity of Dichomitus squalens immobilized on polyurethane foam (PUF) or pine wood (PW) in a fixed bed reactor at a laboratory scale (working volume of 0.6l). Immobilization of fungal cultures on pine wood improved eminently laccase production in comparison to the liquid cultures.

Reduction in the mutagenicity of synthetic dyes by successive treatment with activated sludge and the ligninolytic fungus, Irpex lacteus.

Synthetic dyes are released in wastewater from textile manufacturing plants, and many of these dyes are genotoxic. In the present study, the mutagenicity of azo, anthraquinone, and triphenyl methane dyes was investigated before and after successive biodegradation with activated sludge and the ligninolytic fungus, Irpex lacteus. Two biodegradation systems were used to reduce the genotoxicity of dyes that were not efficiently inactivated by activated sludge alone.

Comparative use of bacterial, algal and protozoan tests to study toxicity of azo- and anthraquinone dyes.

Toxicity of two azo dyes (Reactive Orange 16 (RO16); Congo Red (CR)) and two anthraquinone dyes (Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR); Disperse Blue 3 (DB3)) were compared using bacterium Vibrio fischeri, microalga Selenastrum capricornutum and ciliate Tetrahymena pyriformis. The following respective endpoints were involved: acute toxicity measured as bacterial luminescence inhibition, algal growth inhibition, and the effects on the protozoa including viability, growth inhibition, grazing effect and morphometric effects. In addition, mutagenicity of the dyes was determined using Ames test with bacterium Salmonella typhimurium His(-).