Potential use of two Serratia strains for cadmium remediation based on microbiologically induced carbonate precipitation and their cadmium resistance.

Cadmium (Cd) presence and bioavailability in soils is a serious concern for cocoa producers. Cocoa plants can bioaccumulate Cd that can reach humans through the food chain, thus posing a threat to human health, as Cd is a highly toxic metal. Currently, microbiologically induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) by the ureolytic path has been proposed as an effective technique for Cd remediation.

Isolation of urease-producing bacteria from cocoa farms soils in Santander, Colombia, for cadmium remediation.

Unlabelled: Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal that causes serious health problems and is present in agriculturally important soils in Colombia, such as the ones used for cocoa farming. Recently, the use of ureolytic bacteria by the Microbiologically Induced Carbonate Precipitation (MICP) activity has been proposed as an alternative to mitigate the availability of Cd in contaminated soils. In this study, 12 urease-positive bacteria able to grow in the presence of Cd(II) were isolated and identified.

Use of Trichoderma koningiopsis chitinase to enhance the insecticidal activity of Beauveria bassiana against Diatraea saccharalis.

Trichoderma is a well-known soil-borne fungus, highly efficient producer of extracellular enzymes including chitinases. The aim of this study was to recover a chitinase from fermentation waste after harvesting Trichoderma koningiopsis Th003 conidia and assess its potential as an enhancer of Beauveria bassiana insecticidal activity against Diatraea saccharalis. T.

Simultaneous biofiltration of HS and NH using compost mixtures from lignocellulosic waste and chicken manure as packing material.

Biofiltration offers an efficient and economical alternative for the elimination of offensive odors caused by hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and volatile organic compounds. Considering that packing materials affect the performance and represent the main installation cost, the purpose of this work was to evaluate the biofiltration of HS and NH comparing three composted mixtures made from chicken manure and lignocellulosic residues (pruning waste, sugarcane bagasse, and rice husk) used as packing material. A range of gas concentrations similar to those of a municipal WWTP was used in the biofiltration of a contaminated stream performed on a laboratory scale.

Metal and metalloid immobilization by microbiologically induced carbonates precipitation.

The industrialization and growth of human population has increased the release and accumulation of metals and metalloids in the environment. Bioaccumulation and exposure to these elements have been associated with different types of diseases and cancer, thus looking for alternatives that decrease their bioavailability in the environment is crucial. Microbiologically induced carbonates precipitation (MICP) has been proposed as a potential bioremediation method to immobilize contaminating metals and metalloids.

Stable and Enriched Cenarchaeum symbiosum and Uncultured Betaproteobacteria HF1 in the Microbiome of the Mediterranean Sponge Haliclona fulva (Demospongiae: Haplosclerida).

Sponges harbor characteristic microbiomes derived from symbiotic relationships shaping their lifestyle and survival. Haliclona fulva is encrusting marine sponge species dwelling in coralligenous accretions or semidark caves of the Mediterranean Sea and the near Atlantic Ocean. In this work, we characterized the abundance and core microbial community composition found in specimens of H.

Isolation and Potential Biocementation of Calcite Precipitation Inducing Bacteria from Colombian Buildings.

Microbiological induced calcium carbonate or calcite precipitation (MICP) has become a highly researched issue due to its multiple applications in the construction industry, being a promising alternative with a great biotechnological importance. In this work, potential calcite precipitation inducing bacteria were isolated from mortar and concrete samples of different buildings at the National University of Colombia. Eighteen crystal-precipitating strains were recovered in Urea-CaCl solid medium.

Persistence of pentolite (PETN and TNT) in soil microcosms and microbial enrichment cultures.

Pentolite is a mixture (1:1) of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), and little is known about its fate in the environment. This study was aimed to determine the dissipation of pentolite in soils under laboratory conditions. Microcosm experiments conducted with two soils demonstrated that dissipation rate of PETN was significantly slower than that of TNT.

Environmental occurrence of arsenic in Colombia: a review.

The international literature on the presence of arsenic (As) in Latin America does not disclose the true magnitude of the presence of As in Colombia. In this paper, we summarize the literature on As occurrence in Colombia. The data reveal that As is present in matrices such as soil, sediments and water and in the food chain.

Di-μ(2)-chlorido-dichloridoocta-methyldi-μ(3)-oxido-tetra-tin(IV) bis[chloridodimeth-yl(pyrrolidine-1-carbodithio-ato-κ(2)S,S')tin(IV)].

In the title co-crystal, [Sn(4)(CH(3))(8)Cl(4)O(2)]·2[Sn(CH(3))(2)Cl(C(4)H(8)NS(2))], all the Sn(IV) atoms are in distorted trigonal-bipyramidal environments. In the mononuclear species, the carbodithio-ate ligand is unsymmetrically coordinated to the Sn(IV) atom, with Sn-S distances of 2.6722 (12) and 2.

Nitrile hydrolysing activities of deep-sea and terrestrial mycolate actinomycetes.

Nitrile metabolising actinomycetes previously recovered from deep-sea sediments and terrestrial soils were investigated for their nitrile transforming properties. Metabolic profiling and activity assays confirmed that all strains catalysed the hydrolysis of nitriles by a nitrile hydratase/amidase system. Acetonitrile and benzonitrile, when used as growth substrates for enzyme induction experiments, had a significant influence on the biotransformation activities towards various nitriles and amides.

Diversity of nitrile hydratase and amidase enzyme genes in Rhodococcus erythropolis recovered from geographically distinct habitats.

A molecular screening approach was developed in order to amplify the genomic region that codes for the alpha- and beta-subunits of the nitrile hydratase (NHase) enzyme in rhodococci. Specific PCR primers were designed for the NHase genes from a collection of nitrile-degrading actinomycetes, but amplification was successful only with strains identified as Rhodococcus erythropolis. A hydratase PCR product was also obtained from R.

Survivability of bacteria ejected from icy surfaces after hypervelocity impact.

Both the Saturnian and Jovian systems contain satellites with icy surfaces. If life exists on any of these icy bodies (in putative subsurface oceans for example) then the possibility exists for transfer of life from icy body to icy body. This is an application of the idea of Panspermia, wherein life migrates naturally through space.

Discrimination and taxonomy of geographically diverse strains of nitrile-metabolizing actinomycetes using chemometric and molecular sequencing techniques.

Mycolic acid-containing actinomycetes capable of metabolizing nitriles were recovered from deep-sea sediments and terrestrial soils by enrichment culture on acetonitrile, benzonitrile, succinonitrile or bromoxynil. A total of 43 nitrile-degrading strains were isolated and, together with previously recovered nitrile-degrading rhodococci, were identified by a polyphasic taxonomic approach, which included mycolic acid profiles, pyrolysis mass spectrometry (PyMS), genomic fingerprinting based on sequence variability of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism-single-strand conformational polymorphism, and 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison. Isolates phylogenetically related to Rhodococcus erythropolis dominated the culturable microorganisms from most marine and terrestrial samples.

Dereplication for biotechnology screening: PyMS analysis and PCR-RFLP-SSCP (PRS) profiling of 16S rRNA genes of marine and terrestrial actinomycetes.

The search for exploitable biology is a major task for biotechnology-based industries. In this context, discrimination between previously tested or recovered micro-organisms (dereplication) is imperative, in order to reduce screening costs by sorting large collections of isolates, which are then subjected to further detailed evaluation. Pyrolysis mass spectrometry (PyMS) is a whole-cell fingerprinting technique that enables the rapid and reproducible sorting of micro-organisms, uses small samples and has the advantage of being fully automated.