Microbiological hazard identification in river waters used for recreational activities.

Pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and parasites can cause waterborne disease outbreaks. The study of coastal water quality contributes to identifying potential risks to human health and to improving water management practices. The Río de la Plata River, a wide estuary in South America, is used for recreational activities, as a water source for consumption and as a site for sewage discharges.

Evaluation of bottled water quality by determining nitrate concentration.

The presence of nitrate in sources of drinking water is a matter of concern because of its potential risk for human health. In many countries like Argentina, an increasing proportion of the population chooses to consume bottled water, among other reasons, for lack of water access. The present study was conducted (a) to evaluate the quality of bottled waters by determining nitrate concentration, (b) to relate bottled water quality with water access, (c) to analyze public awareness about bottled water quality and consumption habits of the population in the urban area of Buenos Aires.

Biotransformation of chromium (VI) in liquid effluents by resistant bacteria isolated from the Matanza-Riachuelo basin, in Argentina.

The aims of this investigation were to evaluate the bacterial resistance to zinc, copper, chromium (VI) and lead in surface water streams from Buenos Aires, Argentina; to select a chromium-resistant strain able to remove the metal in batch process and to evaluate the potential of this strain to remove chromium (VI) in liquid effluents. Bacterial resistance to the metals was evaluated by determining the minimal inhibitory concentration. The kinetic of chromium (VI) removal by one of the resistant strains was studied in nutrient broth with 50 and 100 mg L of the metal, as well as an effluent from an electroplating industry.

Aerobic degradation of ibuprofen in batch and continuous reactors by an indigenous bacterial community.

Water from six points from the Riachuelo-Matanza basin was analyzed in order to assess ibuprofen biodegradability. In four of them biodegradation of ibuprofen was proved and degrading bacterial communities were isolated. Biodegradation in each point could not be correlated with sewage pollution.

Selection and identification of a bacterial community able to degrade and detoxify m-nitrophenol in continuous biofilm reactors.

Nitroaromatics are widely used for industrial purposes and constitute a group of compounds of environmental concern because of their persistence and toxic properties. Biological processes used for decontamination of nitroaromatic-polluted sources have then attracted worldwide attention. In the present investigation m-nitrophenol (MNP) biodegradation was studied in batch and continuous reactors.

Aerobic degradation of 3-chlorobenzoic acid by an indigenous strain isolated from a polluted river.

An indigenous strain of Pseudomonas putida capable of degrading 3-chlorobenzoic acid as the sole carbon source was isolated from the Riachuelo, a polluted river in Buenos Aires. Aerobic biodegradation assays were performed using a 2-l microfermentor. Biodegradation was evaluated by spectrophotometry, chloride release, gas chromatography and microbial growth.

Degradation and detoxification of cresols in synthetic and industrial wastewater by an indigenous strain of Pseudomonas putida in aerobic reactors.

We studied the degradation of mixtures of o-cresol, m-cresol, and p-cresol, by Pseudomonas putida isolated from natural sources, and the application of this degradation to the depuration and detoxification of synthetic and industrial wastewater. Biodegradation assays were performed in batch and continuous-flow fixed-bed aerobic reactors. Biodegradation was evaluated by cresol determination using micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography, UV spectrophotometry, and chemical oxygen demand (COD).