Rhizobacteria from Brazilian semiarid biome as growth promoters of soybean (Glycine max L.) under low water availability.

Caatinga is the predominant biome in the Brazilian semiarid region. Its vegetation is composed by plants and microorganisms with high tolerance to drought. Microorganisms associated with plants in this biome can develop mechanisms to protect cells from water stress and desiccation.

Green Manure Species for Phytoremediation of Soil With Tebuthiuron and Vinasse.

Tebuthiuron is often used to control weed growth in sugarcane cultures. This herbicide is highly toxic and can persist in soil for up to 2 years according to its degradation half-life. Hence, its residual effect is highly hazardous for the environment and local habitants via leaching, surface runoff.

Comparative study of phytotoxicity and genotoxicity of soil contaminated with biodiesel, diesel fuel and petroleum.

The worldwide spillage of fossil fuels causes an ever-increasing environmental concern due to their resistance to biodegradation and toxicity. The diesel fuel is one of the derivative forms of petroleum that is widely used in the world. Its composition has many aromatic compounds and long hydrocarbons chains, both persistent and hazardous, thus requiring complex microbial dynamics to achieve full biodegradation.

Electrochemically assisted photocatalysis: Highly efficient treatment using thermal titanium oxides doped and non-doped electrodes for water disinfection.

Electrochemically assisted photocatalysis (by electronic drainage) is a highly promising method for disinfection of water. In this research, the efficiency of photolytic oxidation using UV-A radiation and electrochemically assisted photocatalysis (with electric potential of 1.5 V) was studied by using electrodes prepared by thermal treatment and doped with silver, for inactivation of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

The effects of fluoride based fire-fighting foams on soil microbiota activity and plant growth during natural attenuation of perfluorinated compounds.

The use of fluoride based foams increases the effectiveness of fire-fighting operations, but they are also accompanied by major drawbacks regarding environmental safety of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs). The main concern with PFCs release is due to their well-known persistence and bioaccumulative potential, as they have been detected in many environmental samples. There is a significant knowledge gap on PFC toxicity to plants, even though such data could be useful towards bioremediation procedures.

Metabolical shifts towards alternative BTEX biodegradation intermediates induced by perfluorinated compounds in firefighting foams.

The type and concentration of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) can induce different types of enzymes and promote alternate patterns of BTEX transformation. However, it is not known how the presence of active fluorocarbon-degrading microbial populations affects the transformation of BTEX. In addition to chemical analysis at the molecular level, our research approached the aqueous film forming fire-fighting foams (AFFF) and BTEX co-contamination at a large-scale with respirometers to quantify the total microbial metabolism of soil via CO output levels.