A Valuable Source of Promising Extremophiles in Microbial Plastic Degradation.

Plastics have accumulated in open environments, such as oceans, rivers, and land, for centuries, but their effect has been of concern for only decades. Plastic pollution is a global challenge at the forefront of public awareness worldwide due to its negative effects on ecological systems, animals, human health, and national economies. Therefore, interest has increased regarding specific circular economies for the development of plastic production and the investigation of green technologies for plastic degradation after use on an appropriate timescale.

Evolving pathways towards water security in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta: An adaptive management perspective.

The interplay of climate change, upstream hydropower development, and local water engineering interventions for agricultural production contributes substantially to the transformation of waterscapes and water scarcity in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta. This paper aims to examine how these dynamics are linked to the paradigm shift in water management in An Giang and Ben Tre, the two ecologically distinct provinces that face serious water scarcity in the delta. We used the adaptive management concept to examine how state-led policy directions from food security towards water security enable change in water management that gives priority to water retention.

Rice Husk-Cellulose-Based Agricultural Waste Enhances the Degradation of Synthetic Dyes Using Multiple Enzyme-Producing Extremophiles.

The brightly colored synthetic dyes used in the textile industry are discharged at high concentrations-for example, various azo dyes including Methylene Blue (MB) and Methyl Orange (MO)-which is a matter of global concern, as such dyes are harmful to humans and the environment. Microbial degradation is considered an efficient alternative for overcoming the disadvantages of conventional physical and chemical dye removal methods. In this study, we investigated the potential of multiple types of the enzyme-producing extremophilic bacteria FW2, isolated from food waste leachate, for the decolorization and bioremediation of artificial synthetic dyes.

Investigating Bio-Inspired Degradation of Toxic Dyes Using Potential Multi-Enzyme Producing Extremophiles.

Biological treatment methods overcome many of the drawbacks of physicochemical strategies and play a significant role in removing dye contamination for environmental sustainability. Numerous microorganisms have been investigated as promising dye-degrading candidates because of their high metabolic potential. However, few can be applied on a large scale because of the extremely harsh conditions in effluents polluted with multiple dyes, such as alkaline pH, high salinity/heavy metals/dye concentration, high temperature, and oxidative stress.

Bacterial Biosorbents, an Efficient Heavy Metals Green Clean-Up Strategy: Prospects, Challenges, and Opportunities.

Rapid industrialization has led to the pollution of soil and water by various types of contaminants. Heavy metals (HMs) are considered the most reactive toxic contaminants, even at low concentrations, which cause health problems through accumulation in the food chain and water. Remediation using conventional methods, including physical and chemical techniques, is a costly treatment process and generates toxic by-products, which may negatively affect the surrounding environment.

Coconut Mesocarp-Based Lignocellulosic Waste as a Substrate for Cellulase Production from High Promising Multienzyme-Producing FW2 without Pretreatments.

Facing the crucial issue of high cost in cellulase production from commercial celluloses, inexpensive lignocellulosic materials from agricultural wastes have been attractive. Therefore, several studies have focused on increasing the efficiency of cellulase production by potential microorganisms capable of secreting a high and diversified amount of enzymes using agricultural waste as valuable substrates. Especially, extremophilic bacteria play an important role in biorefinery due to their high value catalytic enzymes that are active even under harsh environmental conditions.

Investigation of Lipolytic-Secreting Bacteria from an Artificially Polluted Soil Using a Modified Culture Method and Optimization of Their Lipase Production.

Compared to lipases from plants or animals, microbial lipases play a vital role in different industrial applications and biotechnological perspectives due to their high stability and cost-effectiveness. Therefore, numerous lipase producers have been investigated in a variety of environments in the presence of lipidic carbon and organic nitrogen sources. As a step in the development of cultivating the unculturable functional bacteria in this study, the forest soil collected from the surrounding plant roots was used to create an artificially contaminated environment for lipase-producing bacterial isolation.

Improvement of Hydrogen Production during Anaerobic Fermentation of Food Waste Leachate by Enriched Bacterial Culture Using Biochar as an Additive.

It has become urgent to develop cost-effective and clean technologies for the rapid and efficient treatment of food waste leachate, caused by the rapid accumulation of food waste volume. Moreover, to face the energy crisis, and to avoid dependence on non-renewable energy sources, the investigation of new sustainable and renewable energy sources from organic waste to energy conversion is an attractive option. Green energy biohydrogen production from food waste leachate, using a microbial pathway, is one of the most efficient technologies, due to its eco-friendly nature and high energy yield.

Moving towards sustainable coastal adaptation: Analysis of hydrological drivers of saltwater intrusion in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta.

Coastal lowlands are of particular importance in providing food, shelter, and livelihoods for large populations; yet aggravating effects caused by human activities and climate change have exposed these areas to multiple challenges. Located in the southernmost part of the Lower Mekong Basin, the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD) is adversely affected by upstream hydropower development, localised water-engineering systems (dykes), climatic factors, and sea level rise. This paper examines how these drivers shape the adaptation strategies of rural communities in the coastal areas.

Aquabacterium olei sp. nov., an oil-degrading bacterium isolated from oil-contaminated soil.

Strain NHI-1T is a Gram-negative, motile, non-spore-forming bacterium isolated from oil-contaminated soil in South Korea. The strain was able to grow by using gasoline, diesel and kerosene as energy and carbon sources. After incubation for 14 days, cells (1 g l- 1) degraded approximately 58 % of oil present at concentration of 1500 p.

Psychrobacillus soli sp. nov., capable of degrading oil, isolated from oil-contaminated soil.

A novel, aerobic, psychrotolerant, Gram-stain-positive, endospore-forming strain, NHI-2(T), was isolated from oil-contaminated soil near a gas station in Mongolia. This strain was characterized by motile rods and grew over a wide range of temperatures ( -2 to 40 °C) with optimal growth at 28-30 °C. It tolerated salt concentrations of up to 7% over a five-day incubation period.

Mesorhizobium soli sp. nov., a novel species isolated from the rhizosphere of Robinia pseudoacacia L. in South Korea by using a modified culture method.

Strain NHI-8(T) was isolated from a forest soil sample, collected in South Korea, by using a modified culture method. Comparative analysis of its nearly full-length 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that strain NHI-8(T) belongs to the genus Mesorhizobium and to be closely related to Mesorhizobium chacoense PR5(T) (97.32 %).

Enhanced isolation and culture of highly efficient psychrophilic oil-degrading bacteria from oil-contaminated soils in South Korea.

It is known that isolation of oil-degrading bacterial strains is difficult at low temperatures, and the biodegradation efficiency of oil-contaminated soil is significantly reduced in cold weather. In this study, 14 strains were isolated from oil-contaminated soil that grew well at 10°C by using a newly developed culture method. 11 of the 14 isolates were successfully cultured in mineral salts medium containing 1,500 ppm of oil components, 500 ppm each kerosene, gasoline, and diesel as carbon sources, at 10°C for 2 weeks.

Niabella thaonhiensis sp. nov., isolated from the forest soil of Kyonggi University in Korea.

Strain NHI-24(T) was isolated from forest soil by a polycarbonate membrane transwell plate. It is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped, non-motile, non-spore-forming bacterium. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence data indicated that strain NHI-24(T) is closely related to members of the genus Niabella: N.

Cultivation of unculturable soil bacteria.

Despite the abundance of bacterial species in soil, more than 99% of these species cannot be cultured by traditional techniques. In addition, the less than 1% of bacteria that can be cultured are not representative of the total phylogenetic diversity. Hence, identifying novel species and their new functions is still an important task for all microbiologists.