Springer protocols feed by Microbiology 
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This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.Protocol for Inferring Compound Biodegradation at Low Concentrations from Biomass Measurements
Biodegradation tests for organic compounds are usually performed at relatively high carbon concentrations (2–100 mg L−1), which can be problematic for toxic compounds. Here we describe a protocol to test compound biodegradation through the concomitant formation of bacterial biomass at relatively low carbon concentrations (0.5–5 mg C/L). The protocol is based on accurate cell counting of dilute cell suspensions by flow cytometry coupled to cell staining with fluorescent dyes. (Source: Springer protocols feed by Microbiology)
Source: Springer protocols feed by Microbiology - December 29, 2016 Category: Microbiology Source Type: news
Bioremediation of Hydrocarbons and Chlorinated Solvents in Groundwater: Characterisation, Design and Performance Assessment
Bioremediation is an accepted and widely implemented technology for the management of groundwater contaminated by hydrocarbon and chlorinated solvent compounds. This chapter reviews the general application of bioremediation processes within a cost–benefit and risk assessment framework, which considers different contaminant types and their properties, release contexts, and the strengths and limitations of available approaches. The pathways, reaction mechanisms and microorganisms responsible for biodegradation of hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents under aerobic and different anaerobic conditions in groundwater are i...
Source: Springer protocols feed by Microbiology - December 29, 2016 Category: Microbiology Source Type: news
Bioaugmentation
The ability of microorganisms to transform pollutants is well documented. However, in many cases microbial communities with the desired capabilities may develop too slowly or may not be sustained. In these cases, manipulation of the microbial composition may be advantageous. Bioremediation has been established as an environmental friendly treatment capable of improving the removal of the contaminants in natural and environmentally systems by circumventing insufficient response time and initiating the removal with a minimal lag phase. Bioremediation exploits the microbial ability to transform contaminants into less harmful ...
Source: Springer protocols feed by Microbiology - December 29, 2016 Category: Microbiology Source Type: news
Ex Situ Bioremediation Treatment (Landfarming)
Landfarming provides a platform where soil conditions (pH, nutrient, moisture, and tilling) can be optimized to promote microbial activities and thus the desired degradation of soil pollutants can be achieved. The factors under which landfarming is applicable and leads to increased effectiveness are reviewed and design parameters for successful landfarming applications are provided. (Source: Springer protocols feed by Microbiology)
Source: Springer protocols feed by Microbiology - December 29, 2016 Category: Microbiology Source Type: news
Biostimulation of Marine Crude Oil Spills Using Dispersants
Dispersants provide a bioremediation option for oil spills at sea for both surface and subsea releases, as demonstrated in the Deepwater Horizon response. By decreasing the interfacial tension between oil and water, dispersants substantially reduce the amount of energy required to disperse oil as tiny droplets (<70 μm) in the water column. Such droplets are essentially neutrally buoyant, so with minimal turbulence they stay in the water column and diffuse apart rather than coalesce as a slick. Since biodegradation of minimally soluble oil components is likely a surface phenomenon, this increase in surface area l...
Source: Springer protocols feed by Microbiology - December 29, 2016 Category: Microbiology Source Type: news
Field Studies Demonstrating the Efficacy of Bioremediation in Marine Environments
The ultimate fate of most oil released into the biosphere is biodegradation. Yet oil lacks some of the essential nutrients for microbial life, and its biodegradation can be limited by the availability of such nutrients from the local environment. Bioremediation of oil on shorelines aims to at least partially alleviate this limitation by the judicious application of fertilizers. Bioremediation played a central role in the response to the Exxon Valdez spill in Prince William Sound, AK, being applied to more than 120 km of shoreline. This short paper describes the program designed by Exxon, the USEPA, and the Alaska Departmen...
Source: Springer protocols feed by Microbiology - December 29, 2016 Category: Microbiology Source Type: news
The Use of Multiple Lines of Evidence to Substantiate Anaerobic BTEX Degradation in Groundwater
Aromatic compounds are nowadays still of major environmental concern. These compounds have been proven to be biodegradable under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Under anaerobic conditions several biodegradation pathways are proposed, but the bacteria and specific genes involved remain largely unknown. The detection of the actual biological degradation potential and expected kinetics of degradation in the field are therefore a challenge. Usually, a combination of different lines of evidence is used to determine and predict the biodegradation of BTEX under anaerobic conditions in the field. These include compound-spec...
Source: Springer protocols feed by Microbiology - December 29, 2016 Category: Microbiology Source Type: news
Methods to Assess the Fate and Impacts of Biofuels in Aquifer Systems
Soil and groundwater contamination from accidental or incidental releases of biofuel blends is a growing concern in many countries. Improved understanding of how different biofuel releases behave in the environment and affect the fate and transport of priority pollutants in aquifers is critical for long-term management strategies. Different experimental approaches have been used to advance our understandings of the fate and impacts of biofuel releases in aquifer systems, to develop improved monitoring and remediation approaches, and to validate mathematical fate and transport models. This chapter summarizes currently used ...
Source: Springer protocols feed by Microbiology - December 29, 2016 Category: Microbiology Source Type: news
Protocol for Biopile Construction Treating Contaminated Soils with Petroleum Hydrocarbons
When investigating the treatment of contaminated soils, the application of biotreatment is growing rapidly. Factors influencing this rapid growth include that the bioremediation processes are cost-efficient, safe, and nature-based. In the past, thermal, chemical, and physical treatment methods have failed to eliminate the pollution problem because those methods only shift the environmental pollutants to a new environmental phase such as air and water. Bioremediation technology, which leads to degradation of pollutants, may be a lucrative and environmentally beneficial alternative. Two major groups of bioremediation treatme...
Source: Springer protocols feed by Microbiology - December 29, 2016 Category: Microbiology Source Type: news
Anaerobic Digestion of Lipid-Rich Waste
Lipids present in waste and wastewater, also referred as fat, oil, and grease (FOG), can be efficiently converted to methane. This fact constitutes an opportunity for conserving the high energy content of waste lipids, thus facilitating its storage and future use as fuel, electricity, and heat. In anaerobic bioreactors, long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) are released during hydrolysis of FOG. LCFAs tend to form stable emulsions, adhere to all available surfaces, and adsorb on the microbial cell walls leading to foam formation, sludge flotation, and washout, as well as temporary inhibition of microbes. These problems can be pre...
Source: Springer protocols feed by Microbiology - December 29, 2016 Category: Microbiology Source Type: news
Bioremediation of Sludge Obtained from Oil/Biofuel Storage Tanks
Crude oil refinery leads to the production of a considerable amount of oil tank bottom sludge which can contaminate the environment and is toxic to human and environmental health. Among the methods available for cleaning up sludge-contaminated environments is bioremediation, which is a widely acceptable method for the remediation of different hydrocarbon-contaminated soils. This method is based on using microbes, mainly bacteria and fungi to degrade or remove the contaminants. Bioremediation technology can be applied to soil contaminated with oil tank bottom sludge using natural attenuation, biostimulation (addition of nut...
Source: Springer protocols feed by Microbiology - December 29, 2016 Category: Microbiology Source Type: news
Genetic Enzyme Screening System: A Method for High-Throughput Functional Screening of Novel Enzymes from Metagenomic Libraries
This protocol describes a single-cell high-throughput genetic enzyme screening system (GESS) in which GFP fluorescence is used to detect the production of phenolic compounds from a given substrate by metagenomic enzyme activity. One of the important features of this single-cell genetic circuit is that it can be used to screen more than 200 different types of enzymes that produce phenolic compounds from phenyl group-containing substrates. The highly sensitive and quantitative nature of the GESS, combined with flow cytometry techniques, will facilitate rapid finding and directed evolution of valuable new enzymes such as glyc...
Source: Springer protocols feed by Microbiology - December 9, 2016 Category: Microbiology Source Type: news
Protocols for the Isolation and Preliminary Characterization of Bacteria for Biodesulfurization and Biodenitrogenation of Petroleum-Derived Fuels
The use of microorganisms to improve fuel quality has been proposed, and in this chapter we describe basic experimental procedures for the isolation and characterization of bacteria for biodesulfurization and biodenitrogenation with dibenzothiophene and carbazole as model compounds for each application, respectively. The presented protocols should be considered as a starting point and adapted to other problematic compounds and conditions. Basic protocols for the evaluation of the treatment of real oil fractions are also presented. (Source: Springer protocols feed by Microbiology)
Source: Springer protocols feed by Microbiology - December 9, 2016 Category: Microbiology Source Type: news
Protocols for Monitoring Growth and Lipid Accumulation in Oleaginous Yeasts
Oleaginous yeasts can synthesize and store lipids up to 20% of their dry weight and have emerged as resources of choice for biotechnological applications, such as bio-lipid production. The number of species and mutant libraries consequently available for screening is exponentially growing. Cultivation strategies and growth media for bio-lipid production need to be optimized to accelerate screening and identification of production strains. In this chapter we describe methods for high-throughput cell growth in 96 microtiter plates in various media including opaque broth by using a fluorescent reporter, carbon/nitrogen ratio ...
Source: Springer protocols feed by Microbiology - December 9, 2016 Category: Microbiology Source Type: news
Use of Bacterial Polyhydroxyalkanoates in Protein Display Technologies
Protein display and immobilization are powerful tools used in industrial biocatalysts, bioremediation, biomolecule screening and purification, as well as biosensor applications. Immobilization can aid in the stability and function of a protein and can allow its recovery and potential reuse. Traditional protein immobilization techniques involving entrapment or non-covalent interactions between the protein and support materials are susceptible to leaching and often require additional cross-linking steps; which may be costly, potentially toxic and may negatively affect the function of the protein. All of these approaches requ...
Source: Springer protocols feed by Microbiology - December 9, 2016 Category: Microbiology Source Type: news
