Bioremediation Science and Technology Research (e-ISSN 2289-5892)
Bioremediation Science and Technology Research (e-ISSN 2289-5892) is an open access, online-only, peer-reviewed journal publishes research papers, short communications, mini review and review articles. BSTR considers scientific papers in basic and applied research that contributes to the improvement and advancement of bioremediation science and technology. Authors wishing to submit their manuscript to this journal please email their manuscripts to the Editor-in-Chief Dr. Mohd Izuan Effendi Halmi at m_izuaneffendi@upm.edu.my .
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A Fixed-Bed Study on the Feedsorption of BSA Using PKC: Toward the Sustainable Agrisorption of Protein-rich Waste for Enhancing Low Nutritional-value Feed
Palm Kernel Cake (PKC), a by-product of Malaysia's palm oil industry, stands out as a sustainable and cost-efficient feed ingredient. However, its use is nutritionally limited for monogastric animals due to high fiber content and anti-nutritional factors. This groundbreaking study explores the innovative process of 'feedsorption'—a term we have coined under the broader concept of 'agrisorption'—to enhance the nutritional value of PKC. By adsorbing protein-rich agricultural, poultry, and farm animal wastes, represented by bovine serum albumin (BSA), we aim to elevate PKC's protein content. Through detailed experimentation involving varying bed depths (1 cm to 2 cm) and initial BSA concentrations (100 to 500 µg/mL) within fixed-bed columns, our findings reveal that increased bed depths significantly prolong breakthrough and exhaustion times, highlighting improved adsorption efficiency. Yet, depths beyond 1 cm pose a risk of clogging. Higher BSA concentrations were found to accelerate breakthrough, indicating a stronger driving force capable of overcoming mass transfer resistance. The Modified Dose Response (MDR) model outperformed the Thomas model in accurately predicting breakthrough curves across different conditions. This study not only confirms the feasibility of feedsorption to bolster the nutritional profile of low-quality feed using protein-rich waste but also introduces a promising avenue for enhancing sustainable livestock nutrition.
Copyright (c) 2023 Bioremediation Science and Technology Research http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Isothermal Remodelling of the Biosorption of Congo Red onto Kaolin
A remodeling analysis was conducted on the sorption isotherm data for Congo Red adsorption onto kaolin using nonlinear regression. (CR) also known as 1-naphthalenesulfonic acid, 3,3′-(4,4′-biphenylenebis(azo)) bis(4-amino-) disodium salt, is a synthetic anionic azo dye widely utilized in various industrial sectors, including rubber, plastic, textiles, paper, and printing. This dye is of significant interest due to its versatile applications and unique chemical properties. To prevent overfitting due to the limited data points, isotherm models with up to three parameters were utilized. Statistical analysis based on error function assessments, including root-mean-square error (RMSE), adjusted coefficient of determination (adjR2), accuracy factor (AF), bias factor (BF), Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), corrected AICc (Akaike Information Criterion), and Hannan-Quinn Criterion (HQC), revealed that the best performance was achieved by the Freundlich model, followed by the Langmuir and Jovanovic models, which ranked as the top three models.The best isotherm model was found to be the Unilan followed by (descending order) Brouers–Sotolongo, Hill, Sips and Langmuir. The Unilan maximum adsorption capacity, shows large deviation from the experimentally observed value with a large 95% confidence interval, indicating poor fitting parameters despite being the best model based on the error function analysis. The next best model was Brouers–Sotolongo with a maximum adsorption capacity, qmBS of 5.48 mg g-1 (95% confidence interval from 4.791 to 6.172) which agrees with experimental observations. The value of the maximum monolayer adsorption capacity for Congo Red binding to kaolin according to the Langmuir’s parameter qmL was 5.49 mg g-1 (95% Confidence interval from 5.018 to 5.967), while bL (L mg-1), the Langmuir model constants was 0.5 L mg-1 (95% C.I. from 0.285 to 0.710).
Mercury Sorption onto Rice Husk Ash: An Isothermal Remodelling
The rice milling process produces rice husk as a by-product. It is one of the most important agricultural leftovers in terms of volume. The data of the sorption isotherm of Hg (II) (CV) sorption onto rice husk ash, which was plotted using linearized plots of isothermal models were reanalyzed using isothermal models using nonlinear regression. As the datapoints were small, nineteen isotherm models with parameters of only up to three were utilized to prevent overfitting. The models were Henry, Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, Dubinin-Radushkevich, Jovanovic, Redlich-Peterson, Sips, Toth, Hill, Khan, BET, Vieth-Sladek, Radke-Prausnitz, Brouers–Sotolongo, Fritz-Schlunder III, Unilan, Fowler-Guggenheim and Moreau. Statistical analysis based on error function analyses such as root-mean-square error (RMSE), adjusted coefficient of determination (adjR2), accuracy factor (AF), bias factor (BF), Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), corrected AICc (Akaike Information Criterion), and Hannan-Quinn Criterion (HQC) showed that Freundlich model was the best model. The value of the maximum monolayer adsorption capacity for Hg binding to rice husk ash according to the Langmuir’s parameter qmL was 3.998 mg g-1 (95% Confidence interval from 2.473 to 5.523), while bL (L mg-1), the Langmuir model constants was 0.067 L mg-1 (95% C.I. from 0.001 to 0.134). The Freundlich model is unable to forecast the maximal adsorption capacity. The Halsey rearrangement of the Freundlich equation gave the estimated maximum absorption of 3.39 mg g-1, which is very close to the experimental value. The nonlinear regression method provides parameter values within the 95% confidence interval, facilitating improved comparability with prior research.
Inhibitive Assay of Insecticides using the Acetylcholinesterase from Poe-cilia reticulata (Peters, 1859)
Poecilia reticulata (P. reticulata) is a species of tropical fish in the family Poeciliidae that is found all over the world and is a favorite in freshwater aquariums. The Malay name for this fish is "Ikan Gapi," although the English term "Guppy" has become more common. The Million Fish, or Rainbow Fish, as it's known in other parts of the world. The goals of this research were to char-acterize the acetylcholinesterase that will be partially purified from P. reticulata brain extract using ammonium sulphate fractionation The screening results show that at 1 mg/L insecticide, acephate, dimethoate, trichlorfon and bendiocarb leads to 100% inhibition, whilst parathion, methomyl and malathion cause >90% inhibition. The AChE from P. reticulata is less sensitive to other species as far as the insecticides carbofuran, carbaryl, methomyl, bendiocarb, parathion, diazinon, chlorpyrifos with the exception of malathion, where the sensitivity of malathion to the AChE from was within the range of the AChE from other species such a E. electricus , Pangasius sp., Chan-na micropeltes, Clarias batrachus, H. nemurus, Tor tambroides, and Osteochilus hasselti.
Comparison between the Four-parameter and Five-parameter Logistics Equations in the Determination of the Limits of Detection of Ochratoxin A
Ochratoxin A, a type of mycotoxin, was detected in plant sample matrices using the "optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy" (OWLS) method. The calibration curve for the detection of ochratoxin A utilizing "optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy" (OWLS) displayed a sigmoidal shape; hence, the 5-parameter logistics (5-PL) or 4-parameters logistics (4-PL) model should be used to fit the data rather than a linear model. Through the use of error function analysis and various functions such as Bias Factor, corrected Akaike Information Criterion (AICc), adjusted correlation coefficient (adjR2), Hannan–Quinn information criterion (HQC), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), and Accuracy Factor, the distinction between the 5-PL and 4-PL models is found to be inconsistent. The half maximal effective concentration (EC50) confidence intervals overlapped, indicating no difference between the two methods; the 4-PL model was chosen because of its fewer parameters. The Limits of Detection (LOD) calculated using the 4-PL equation was 0.818 ng/mL, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.526-1.143 ng/mL. This value falls within the estimated range of 0.5 to 10 ng/mL found in the first investigation. Not only was the linear component of the data curve successfully represented by this study's use of the 4-PL model, but the model was also successful in representing the entire date curve.
Assessment of Borehole Water Quality in Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (Permanent Site), Nigeria
It is acknowledged that access to high-quality water is crucial for any significant human development. Ten boreholes were used in obtaining the water sample. The samples were analyzed using the American Public Health Association (APHA) suggested procedures. The test parameters were compared to the chemical drinking water quality guideline established by the World Health Organisation. In a situation where the value is not provided, we relied on other pieces of literature. The research shows that the alkalinity, iron (Fe+), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg+), nitrate (NO3-), pH, conductivity, phosphate (PO43-), and total hardness (CaCO3) are all in line with the guidelines permissible limit which means are within the no-problem zone limits for health. While copper (Cu2+) was found to be within the permissible limit 2 mg/L in all the samples but BH1 (Junior Staff Quarters) 3mg/L which has health problems such as digestive disturbances, problems with the central nervous system, mucosal irritability, Wilson's illnesses, and liver and kidney damage.
Households Water Purification Using Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS) in Gombe Metropolis, Gombe State, Nigeria
Assessment of water quality has been an important issue nowadays as the available water supply is severely polluted and can be the cause of waterborne diseases like cholera, diarrhea and dysentery. Solar disinfection (SODIS) is an efficient, low technology and cost-effective method for inactivation of pathogenic microorganisms in low-income communities where clean drinking water is limited or absent. The study was designed to assess the information about sanitation behavior at the household level using a structured questionnaire and to provide cost-effective method for its treatment. The result of the bacteriological analysis shows that all the water samples were found to harbour coliforms organisms in numbers greater than the required WHO/FAO/NSDWQ standards. The isolated organisms were identified to be Enterobacter aerogenes, species. SODIS was proven to be a more environmentally friendly and low-cost method to disinfect water against the conventional methods of water treatment that require high technology and it is time-consuming. In addition, the chemical used in the treatment process might be toxic. Providing the community with simple water treatment techniques using the SODIS method, and intensive health education and sanitation practices for the community are highly recommended.
Bacteriological Survey of Abattoir Wastewater in Aba, Abia State, Nigeria
The bacteriological survey of abattoir wastewater in Aba was investigated. Samples of wastewater contaminated with abattoir waste were collected at ten different spots in the abattoir. Nutrient agar was utilised as the media for the total aerobic plate count, McConkey agar was used for the coliform count, and cellulolytic media was used for the cellulolytic count. It was done using the pour plate method. The bacteria were identified using colonial morphology, gram staining, and biochemical assays. All of the aerobic plates, coliform count and cellulolytic count for the abattoir wastewater ranged from 1.03 x107 to 7.1 x 106 CFU/mL, 5.8 x 106 to 1.2 x 106 CFU/mL and 3.7 x106 to1.3x 106 CFU/mL, respectively. Streptococcus spp., Pseudomonas spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus spp., Micrococcus spp., Vibrio cholerae, Klebsiella spp., and Escherichia coli were among the bacteria that were isolated. This survey further confirmed the presence of varying bacteria genera in abattoir wastewater and the expedient nature of treating wastewater rather than releasing it to the physical environment as it poses a threat to public health.
Mathematical Modeling of Substrate Inhibition Kinetics of Staphylococcus aureus Growth on Basic Violet 3
Crystal violet or gentian violet or basic violet 3 (BV) is an essential dye utilized as a dye for textiles and paper, as well as being an ingredient in inks used for printing, ballpoint pens, and inkjet printers. In some cases, it is utilized for the purpose of imparting color to a variety of items, including antifreeze, fertilizer, detergent, and leather. The use of microorganisms for the purpose of BV bioremediation is becoming increasingly common. A number of secondary models, including Monod, Haldane, Teissier, Aiba, Yano and Koga, Hans-Levenspiel, Webb, and the Luong model, can be used to estimate the rate of decolorization, which is frequently blocked at high concentrations of toxicant. These models can be used to simulate the process. The best model based on statistical analysis was Teissier with the highest value for the adjusted coefficient of determination and the lowest values for RMSE, AICc and the closest value to 1.0 for accuracy and bias factors. The Teissier model was found to conform to normality tests and is adequate to be used to fit the experimental data. The experimental data obtained indicates that BV is toxic and slows down the rate of decolourisation at higher concentrations. The maximum BV specific biodegradation rate (qmax), half-saturation concentration (KS), half inhibition concentration (Ki) was 0.145 h-1, 0.408 mg/L and 73.205 mg/L, respectively.
Copyright (c) 2022 Bioremediation Science and Technology Research http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Immobilization of Bacillus sp. Strain Neni-8 in Dialysis Tubing Reduced Copper Toxicity to the Molybdenum Reduction Process
In ruminants, even trace amounts of molybdenum can be lethal. In areas with high pollution, molybdenum levels in soil and mine tailings can exceed 20,000 ppm. Bioremediation of molybdenum can be challenging when toxic copper is also present. This research presents a novel approach using dialysis tubing and the molybdenum-reducing activity of Bacillus sp. strain Neni-8 for molybdenum removal from aqueous solutions. Molybdenum blue (Mo-blue), produced during enzymatic reduction, is insoluble in dialysis tubing and this can be a twofold advantage as a method of removal and as a method to protect bacterial cells from heavy metal inhibition, especially copper. In this experiment, we assess the toxicity-shielding effect of dialysis tubing for molybdenum reduction to Mo-blue by this bacterium in the presence of copper. As the concentrations of copper were increased, both free and immobilized cells were strongly inhibited. Modelling using the dissociationone-phase exponential decay model gave an IC50 value for the immobilized form of 0.1107 mg/L (95% confidence interval from 0.073 to 0.217 while the IC50 value for the free cell system was 0.023 mg/L (95% C.I. from 0.019 to 0.028). Since the confidence interval for the IC50 values did not overlap, the immobilized system gave better protection from copper than the free cell system. Toxicity to free cells was higher than toxicity to cells trapped in dialysis tubes, suggesting that trapping Mo-reducing cells may be an effective strategy for the bioremediation of water or wastewater contaminated with multiple heavy metals.
Limits of Detection Determination of Aflatoxin B1 using the Optical Waveguide Lightmode Spectroscopy via the Four-Parameter Logistic Model
Mycotoxins are harmful secondary metabolites generated by a variety of fungi, and they may be found in a vast array of food and feed commodities and processed meats from animals fed infected meal. Numerous mycotoxins are extremely resistant and survive food processing, entering the food chain and posing a concern to human health. The "optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy" (OWLS) method was used to detect aflatoxin B1 in plant sample matrices. The calibration curve for the detection of aflatoxin B1 utilizing "optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy" (OWLS) displayed a sigmoidal shape; hence, the 5-PL or 4-PL model should be used to fit the data rather than a linear model. Using error function analysis with functions such as AICc, HQC, BIC, RMSE, adjR2, Bias Factor, and Accuracy Factor, the 5-PL and 4-Pl models are distinguished inconsistently. The overlapping confidence intervals of the LogEC50 values suggested that the two techniques did not differ much, and the 4-PL model was selected due to its smaller number of parameters. The Limits of Detection for aflatoxin B1 value based on the 4-PL equation was 8.787 ng/mL with the 95% confidence interval from 5.728 to 13.100. In this study, the use of the 4-PL model was successful and was able to represent the entire date curve, not only the linear section. The linear component is crucial as a handy and swift approach for assessing the sensitivity of a developed biosensor technology and is often a more beneficial method for field applications when a quick and straightforward evaluation is required.
Response Surface Method for the Optimization of E. cloacae Strain UPM2021a Growth on Acrylamide as a Nitrogen Source
Acrylamide is often used in soil stabilization works. It is a neurotoxin and leachate from such stabilization works contaminate soils all around the world. E. cloacae strain UPM2021a which had been previously isolated and demonstrated the ability to degrade acrylamide was further studied for its critical parameters contributing to the optimum growth of acrylamide. The Box-Behnken design was utilized in optimizing the three previously identified significant components (pH, incubation time and acrylamide concentration). Of the three factors, acrylamide and pH were the significant factors. The response surface plot exhibited evidence of interactions. Predicted optimal conditions were determined using the "Numerical Optimisation" toolbox of the Design Expert software. Two optimal conditions were tested. The model predicted a maximum growth of 10.686 (95% C.I., 10.458 to 10.913) which was verified through experimental results with a growth of 11.257 (95% C.I., 11.051 to 11.462) with the actual results being near to the predicted values but was significantly higher than the predicted values. The second numerical optimization gave a solution with a predicted maximum growth of 9.305 log CFU/mL (95% C.I. from 9.011 to 9.614) which was verified through experimental results with a growth of 9.978 log CFU/mL (95% C.I. from 9.830 to 10.126) with the actual results were also significantly higher than the predicted values. This means that other methods which employ more runs such as CCD or a different optimization approach such as Artificial Neural Network may be employed in the future to close the difference between the model predicted and actual experimental values. Despite this, the RSM exercise gave far better growth on acrylamide than OFAT with a higher response of about 2 log CFU/mL unit indicating the utility of RSM over OFAT in the optimization of growth of this bacterium on acrylamide.
Inhibitory Effect of Copper on the Growth Rate of Serratia marcescens strain DRY6 on SDS
The anionic surfactant known as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is found in a wide variety of products designed for cleaning and personal hygiene. Because of the combination of its hydrocarbon tail and its polar "headgroup," the molecule possesses the amphiphilic qualities that make it suitable for use as a detergent. Due to this it is a major pollutant in aquatic bodies. One of the most researched types of cleanup is biodegradation by microorganisms, particularly bacteria. Copper has a profound effect in inhibiting the degradation of SDS by the bacteria Serratia marcescens strain DRY6. Under different copper concentrations, the SDS-degrading bacteria grew in a sigmoidal manner with lag times of 7 to 10 hours. Overall growth was decreased when the concentration of copper was raised, with 1.0 g/L virtually completely stopping bacterial growth. Rates of expansion at various copper concentrations were calculated using a modified Gompertz model. Following the modification of the Gompertz model, the growth rates were modeled using the modified Han-Levenspiel, Wang, Liu, modified Andrews, and the Amor models. Only three of the five models (Wang, modified Han-Levenspiel, and the Liu models) were able to match the curve; the modified Andrews and Amor models did not. As for model fit, the Wang and modified Han-Levenspiel models perform admirably, but the Liu model performs poorly. The Wang model performed best statistically, with the lowest RMSE and AICc values, the greatest adjusted correlation coefficient (adR2), and AF and BF values closest to unity. The Wang model yielded estimates of 0.216 (95% confidence interval: 0.193 to 0.239), 1.05 (95% confidence interval: 0.938 to 1.167), and 0.389 (95% confidence interval: 0.148 to 0.636) for the critical heavy metal ion concentration (g/l), maximum growth rate (g/l h), and empirical constant.
A Two-level Factorial Design for Screening Factors that Influence the Growth of Staphylococcus sp. strain Amr-15 on Acrylamide
Due to the fact that it breaks down into acrylamide over time, polyacrylamide is one of the most important sources of acrylamide in soil. As a strategy for bioremediation, the breakdown of acrylamide by the action of microbes has seen a gradual but consistent increase in attention all over the world. A previously isolated molybdenum-reducing bacterium with amide-degrading capability was further identified on significant parameters contributing to optimized growth on acrylamide using a two-level factorial design in this study. The two-level factorial design was adopted in the screening of five independent factors influencing the growth of the bacterium on acrylamide. These factors include pH, temperature, incubation time, acrylamide concentration and glucose concentration. The two-factor factorial design was successful in finding important contributing parameters in the growth of this bacterium on acrylamide, which were acrylamide concentration, pH and incubation time (p<0.05) that can be further optimized using RSM in future works. The important contributing factors or parameters were analysed using ANOVA, Pareto’s chart and perturbations plot and other diagnostic plots. The diagnostic plots such as half-normal, Cook’s distance, residual vs runs, leverage vs runs, Box-Cox, DFFITS, DFBETAS all supported the two-level factorial conclusion. This study was carried out using an acrylamide range well within the range reported to be tolerated by most acrylamide-degrading microorganisms. Incubation time is an expected result since longer incubation time allows more growth and incubation time ranging from two to five days for optimized growth has been reported in many acrylamide-degrading microorganisms. Most of the acrylamide-degrading microorganisms grow well in near-neutral conditions, of which the results obtained in this study conforms to the published literature trends.
Growth on Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate (SDS) by a Bacterial Consortium Isolated from Volcanic Soil
During biodegradation, microorganisms can directly metabolize surfactants for energy and nutrients or co-metabolize them with other compounds. Maximum growth of the bacterial consortium on SDS was seen between 30 and 35 °C, while the optimal pH range for bacterial consortium growth was between 6.5 and 7.5. As for the nitrogen source, 2 g/L of ammonium sulfate was optimum in supporting the growth of SDS. The greatest growth rate of the bacterial consortium was recorded at a concentration of between 1 and 1.5 g/L of SDS (p<0.05). At 2–3, g/L of SDS, the bacterial consortium grew more slowly, and at 5 g/L, growth was severely inhibited. Almost complete degradations of SDS were observed in 3, 5 and 6 days at 0.5, 0.75 and 1 g/L SDS, respectively while higher concentrations showed partial degradation with no degradation observed at 2.5 g/L SDS after 6 days of incubation. In this study, the maximum growth rate, or max, Ks, and Ki were 0.517 h-1 (95% confidence interval of C.I. from 0.404 to 0.629), 0.132 (g/L) (95% C.I. from 0.073 to 0.191) and 0.909 (g/L) (95% C.I. from 0.544 to 1.273), respectively. Heavy metals like mercury, copper, and chromium can severely stunt growth if they are present in the environment. It was discovered through research into growth kinetics that Haldane substrate inhibition kinetics may be used to model the growth rate. This bacterial consortium has the right properties for the bioremediation of SDS-polluted environments.
Isolation and Growth Characterization of an Acrylamide-degrading E. cloacae strain UPM2021a Isolated from a Paddy Field
Acrylamide is a suspected carcinogen and a global pollutant. The presence of acrylamide in the soil is a major source of this chemical. Microbe-mediated acrylamide breakdown as a bioremediation technique is gaining popularity across the world. Several bacteria capable of digesting acrylamide have been identified in paddy field soils. The best isolate was a bacterium identified tentatively as E. cloacae strain UPM2021a based on cultural, colony morphology and biochemical tests. According to early studies, ideal growth parameters included a pH range of 6.5 and 7.5 and a temperature range of 25 to 35 degrees Celsius. Acrylamide dosages of up to 2500 mg/L were explored as a single nitrogen supply. The greatest growth occurs between 300 and 1000 mg/L of acrylamide, resulting in an approximate nett growth of 3 log CFU/mL when compared to the control. Growth was practically tolerated at 1700 mg/L, and growth stopped entirely at concentrations above 2000 mg/L. Toxic heavy metals such as mercury, copper, chromium, and cadmium hampered acrylamide development with mercury being the strongest inhibitor whilst other metal ions such as copper, cadmium, and chromium show from 30 to 50% inhibition whilst lead was the least inhibiting. The relatively high tolerant of acrylamide makes this bacterium suitable for remediation of soil contaminated with acrylamide whilst its sensitivity to heavy metals chiefly mercury means metal-chelating or sequestering compounds must be added to soil contaminated with both acrylamide and heavy metals.
Test of the Randomness of Residuals and Detection of Potential Outliers for the Modified Gompertz Model Used in the Fitting of the Growth of Shigella flexneri
The formulation of hypotheses and the recommendation of experiments as the subsequent stages of the research process are both brought about as a result of the utilization of complicated computer models that make it possible to represent intricate biological processes. Because these systems rely on random data, this is a necessity for all parametric statistical assessment procedures. When the diagnostic tests reveal that the residuals make up a pattern, there are a few different treatment choices available to choose from. Two of these alternatives include running a nonparametric analysis or switching to a new model. In this study, we use the Wald-Wolfowitz runs test as a statistical diagnosis tool to determine whether or not the randomization conditions have been met. The runs test found that there were 5 total runs, although the randomness assumption predicted 7.46 runs. The null hypothesis is not rejected since the p-value is greater than 0.05; this suggests that there is no convincing evidence of the residuals' non-randomness; rather, the residuals represent noise. In addition, the Grubb’s outlier test shows no indication of an outlier, further corroborate the scenario of the adequacy of the modified Gompertz model used in the fitting of the growth of Shigella flexneri.
Yeast Inhibitive Assay for Anionic Heavy Metals: A review
One of the most common types of pollution that has a negative impact on the biotic community in aquatic habitats is heavy metal poisoning of the water. Both essential and non-essential heavy metals can be toxic to living things if their concentrations are too high for their bioavailability. Although the toxicity of heavy metals, and especially anionic metal ions, is better known than that of cationic metal ions, it is just as toxic, if not more so. The focus of this review is on the usefulness of eukaryotic organisms like yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, for toxicity assessment because they can be easily maintained and developed in controlled circumstances, thereby avoiding variability issues that arise when employing more complex organisms. Recent research has shown that the majority of cellular MTT reduction occurs outside of the mitochondrial inner membrane, and that this reduction is dependent on NADH and NADPH but is resistant to respiratory chain inhibitors.
Mathematical Isothermal Modeling of Remazol Black B Biosorption by Aspergillus flavus
Azo dyes, like Remazol Black B, form covalent bonds with textile fibers like cotton, setting them apart from traditional dyes. Due to their advantageous qualities of vivid color, water resistance, straightforward application processes, and low energy consumption, they are widely used in the textile industry. Major environmental effects of their discharge into receiving streams include reduced photosynthesis in aquatic life as a result of decreased light penetration. Seven isotherm models—Henry, Langmuir, Freundlich, BET, Toth, Fritz-Schlunder IV, and Fritz-Schlunder V—were used to analyze the biosorption isotherm data of Remazol Black B dye biosorption by Aspergillus flavus and were fitted using non-linear regression. Based on statistical analysis, the Fritz-Schlunder IV was determined to be the best model using root-mean-square error (RMSE), adjusted coefficient of determination (adjR2), bias factor (BF), accuracy factor (AF), corrected AICc (Akaike Information Criterion), Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), and Hannan-Quinn information criterion (HQC). The calculated Fritz-Schlunder IV parameter, bFS value was found to be 3.812 mg/g (95% confidence interval of 0.312 to 7.311) and qmFS value of 0.0224 (95% confidence interval of -21725.002 to 21725.047).
Effect of Growth Media and pH on Microalgal Biomass of Chlorella vulgaris for Biodiesel Production
The increased industrialization and overuse of natural resources for energy, such as fossil fuels, have led to the energy crises and environmental issues that plague the world in the twenty-first century. The production of biodiesel from algae has recently gained attention as a potentially useful alternative fuel that is both environmentally friendly and easy to obtain. In this work, the effects of various pH levels on algae biomass and oil production from Chlorella Vulgaris were studied. The growth of the biomass concentration was monitored using a spectrophotometer. The biomass of C. vulgaris obtained from the test was subjected to oil extraction using the chemical solvent method. Out of the five media compositions tested (MBG-11, BG-11, BBM, M8 and N8), MBG-11 recorded the highest biomass concentration at pH 8 (0.6 mg/L/D) and N8 recorded the least biomass concentration at pH 6 (0.49 mg/L/D). The highest percentage of oil was extracted from the C. vulgaris in BBM at pH 6 (31.22%) while the lowest oil was recorded in M8 at pH 8 (14.75%). In conclusion, the best medium for C. vulgaris biomass production was MBG-11 medium while the best medium for oil Production from this microalga was Bold Basal Medium (BBM).
Clay Characterization and Bleaching of Crude Palm Oil Using Acid-Activated Nibo Clay
Acid-activated Nibo clay was applied as an adsorbent in the bleaching of crude palm oil. The collected clay sample was activated with hydrochloric acid solution after it was sun-dried and ground. The raw (NC) and activated clay (ANC) samples were characterized using XRF, SEM, and FTIR analyses. The efficiency of the bleaching process was examined by varying the adsorbent dosage, temperature and the contact time. The results of XRF, SEM, and FTIR analyses on NC and ANC showed that the clays were kaolinites with significant changes after activation. The bleaching experiment showed that increase in temperature improved the efficiency of the process. The highest bleaching efficiency of 86% was observed. The pseudo-second-order model best described the adsorption process at 100 °C when compared to correlation coefficient values of the pseudo-first-order, Intra-particle diffusion and Elovich kinetic models. The Temkin isotherm model best fitted the experimental data than the Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich models with R2 values of >0.9 at all temperatures. The enthalpy and entropy values were evaluated as 54,943.90 J/mol and 154.6321 J/mol respectively. The enthalpy and entropy values indicated that the adsorption process was endothermic and showed an increase in randomness at the solid/liquid interface. The negative values of the Gibb’s free energy at 363 and 373 K implied that beta carotene adsorption of crude palm oil at these temperatures was spontaneous and feasible. This experimental study showed that acid activated Nibo clay can be applied as an adsorbent for the bleaching of crude palm oil at higher temperatures.
Antioxidant Vitamins and Minerals Composition of Fresh Carrot-Cabbage Juice
Antioxidants are substances that protect cells from the damages caused by free radicals. Fruit and vegetables are rich in antioxidants and provide important sources of antioxidants. While the quest for an antioxidant supplement is ongoing, this study investigated the antioxidant vitamins and minerals composition of fresh carrot-cabbage juice. Antioxidant vitamins and minerals compositions of the juice were determined by standard methods using spectrophotometry and atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) respectively. The concentration of antioxidant vitamins was found to be in the order; vitamin C > vitamin A > vitamin E. However, manganese has the highest concentration (P < 0.05) among minerals. There is no significant difference between the concentrations of manganese and copper (P > 0.05). The concentration of chromium is significantly lower (P < 0.05) than that of manganese and copper but greater (P < 0.05) than that of zinc. The study showed that fresh carrot-cabbage juice contains a respective concentration of antioxidant vitamins (A, C and E) and antioxidant minerals (Cu, Cr, Mn and Zn). The juice is hence a good source of antioxidant vitamins and minerals and may help complement the antioxidant system of the body.
Effect of Feedstock Type on Biostimulation Efficiency and Microbial Community Structure during Biochar-Facilitated Remediation of Petroleum Contaminated Soil
This study investigated the effect of plant feedstock– and animal feedstock–derived biochar at 10%w/w and 15%w/w amendment levels on the biostimulation efficiency and the cultivable microbial community in the soil during biochar-facilitated remediation of petroleum contaminated soil using standard techniques. Biostimulation was most effective with the animal-based biochar (ABB) treatment while total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) removal was greatest in the plant-based biochar (PBB) amended soil. Observed mean TPH levels on Day 60 ranged from about 7000 mg/kg – 7800 mg/kg for the PBB and 11000 mg/kg – 14000 mg/kg for ABB representing removal levels of roughly 51.0%, 57.7%, 72.4% and 73.7% in 10% ABB, 15% ABB, 10% PBB and 15% PBB amended contaminated soils respectively. The cultivable bacterial diversity for both feedstock types shifted from the combination of Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria phyla at the onset of the study to predominantly Proteobacteria by the end of the study with a distinct reduction in diversity observed with increasing contact time. The dominant cultivable heterotrophic bacterial isolates were Bacillus spp., Pseudomonas spp. and Staphylococcus aureus for ABB and Pseudomonas spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae and Bacillus spp. for PBB. Amongst the cultivable hydrocarbon utilising bacteria obtained, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas spp. and Enterobacter spp. dominated. There were significant differences in TCHB and CHUB abundance and TPH removal efficiency between PBB and ABB amendments at 95% confidence interval. The study established that application of biochar effectively manages petroleum pollutants in soil by stimulating the proliferation and activities of relevant degradative species.
Kinetic Analysis of the Adsorption of Ethyl Violet onto Graphene Oxide Sheets Integrated with Gold Nanoparticles
An example of biosorption is when the sorbent is made from a biodegradable material. Biosorption is now being seen as a simple, cost-effective, and environmentally acceptable alternative to traditional pollution treatment methods. Bioremediation is one of the branches of bioremediation that is used to minimise pollution in the context of incorrect dye waste disposal. The sorption isotherm of Ethyl Violet onto graphene oxide were analyzed using three models—pseudo-1st, pseudo-2nd and Elovich, and fitted using non-linear regression. Statistical analysis based on root-mean-square error (RMSE), adjusted coefficient of determination (adjR2), bias factor (BF), accuracy factor (AF), corrected AICc (Akaike Information Criterion), Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) and Hannan–Quinn information criterion (HQC) that showed that the pseudo-second-order model was the best which was the same finding from the original published work. The calculated evidence ratio was 11 with an AICc probability value of 0.91 indicating that the best model was at least 11 times better than the nearest best model, which was pseudo-1st. Further analysis is needed to provide proof for the mechanism usually tied to this kinetic. Nonlinear regression analysis using the pseudo-2nd order model for the highest concentration tested, which was 10 mM, gave values of equilibrium sorption capacity qe of 30.928 mg/g (95% confidence interval from 29.328 to 32.527) and a value of the pseudo-2nd-order rate constant, k2 of 0.020 (95% confidence interval from 0.011 to 0.028).
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Effect of Cowpea Seed Beetle (Callosobruchus maculatus) Infestation on Selected Landraces of Bambara Groundnut During Storage
The study was carried out to assess the effect of Callosobruchus maculatus infestation on selected Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranean) landraces in Gombe during storage to determine the Landrace (s) that are less susceptible to infestation caused by C. maculatus during storage. The trial was done in the Botany laboratory of Gombe State University, Gombe. Seeds were collected from five different Landraces, 40 grams each of healthy and C. maculatus infestation free seeds were infested with two males and three females. Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replicates was used to assess the effects of C. maculatus infestation on the selected landraces of Bambara groundnut during storage. The results of the analysis of variance displayed significant differences (pâ‰¤ 0.05) among the parameters studied. It indicated that the Mottled and Cream landraces are relatively less susceptible and witness lower damage from the bruchids attack 14.6 (36%) and 17 (46%), whereas Red and Black landraces are more susceptible 24 (61 %) and 22 (57 %) (recorded higher damage from the C. maculatus in terms of percentage weight loss recorded). These results showed the existence of variation among the different Bambara groundnut landraces used due to the infestation of C. maculatus. It can be observed from this study that the use of infestation free landraces at storage time may perhaps be a worthwhile and auspicious factor for integrated pest management especially on bruchids in Bambara groundnuts. additionally, Mottle and Cream landraces might be employed as sources of resistance genes for the subsequent plant improvement program.
Characterization of Cypermethrin-degradation by a Novel Molybdenum-reducing Morganella sp. Isolated from Active Agricultural Land in Northwestern Nigeria
The increasing use of cypermethrin in agricultural fields, household and industrial applications for effective pest control had increased the global burden of the pollutant over the years. Consequently, there is an urgent need to devise techniques to eliminate this pollutant from the environment. A bacterium capable of degrading cypermethrin has been successfully screened and characterized. The bacterium was grown in a mineral salt medium (MSM) supplemented with cypermethrin as its sole carbon and energy source at an optimum pH 7.5, temperature 40 ºC, a carbon source concentration of 4 g/L, optimum incubation time of 24 h and an inoculum size of 400 µL. The potential of Morganella sp. to degrade cypermethrin makes it an important instrument for the degradation of cypermethrin. This knowledge may be useful for the optimization of environmental conditions for cypermethrin bioremediation and important for detoxification of cypermethrin polluted sites.
Molybdenum Blue Production from Serratia sp. strain DRY5: Secondary Modeling
In this work, kinetic growth models such as Luong, Yano, Teissier-Edward, Aiba, Haldane, Monod, Han and Levenspiel were used to model molybdenum blue production from Serratia sp. strain DRY5. Based on statistical analyses such as root-mean-square error (RMSE), adjusted coefficient of determination (adjR2), bias factor (BF), and accuracy factor (AF), the Monod model was chosen as the best. The calculated values for the monod constants qmax (the maximum specific substrate degradation rate (hâˆ’1), and Ks (concentration of substrate at the half maximal degradation rate (mg/L)) were found to be 3.86 (95% confidence interval of 2.29 to 5.43), and 43.41 (95% confidence interval of 12.36 to 74.46) respectively. The novel constants discovered during the modelling exercise could be used in further secondary modelling.
Characterization of Aniline Degradation by A Previously Isolated Molybdenum-reducing Pseudomonas sp.
Microorganisms play an integral role in detoxification and removal of toxic compounds from the environment. Aniline is the simplest aromatic amine, consisting of a phenyl group attached to an amino group that is used as herbicide to control weeds. Aniline is detrimental to both environment and health. In this research, six previously isolated bacteria (isolate A-F) were screened on Bushnell Hass media for their potential to grow and utilize aniline as a sole carbon source. Isolate A (Pseudomonas sp.) was found to tolerate and grow best with aniline sole source of carbon. Optimum conditions for aniline degradation by this isolate were found to be pH 6.0, temperature between 30 and 37 °C, inoculums size of 600 μL, aniline concentration of 200 mg/L and incubation time of 96 h. The capacity of this isolate to reduce toxic aniline to less toxic form is novel and makes the bacterium important instrument for bioremediation of this pollutant.
Comparative Insecticidal Effects of Dry Ocimum Gratissium (Scent Leaves) and Rambo™ Paper on Mosquitoes in Jos, Nigeria
Insecticides are chemicals or biological substances that are used to kill or disable insects. Blood feeding mosquitoes are responsible for the intolerable biting nuisance and transmission of large number of diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, filarias is amongst others, causing serious health problems to humans and obstacles to socioeconomic development of developing nations like Nigeria. The insecticidal effect of scent leaves (Ocimum gratissum) and Rambo™ paper on mosquitoes was investigated. The study is aimed at comparing the insecticidal effects of Ocimum gratissimum and Rambo™ paper on mosquitoes in Jos. 100 mosquitoes were exposed to dried Ocimum gratissum and Rambo™ paper at different time intervals of 5, 10 and 12 min. Results obtained showed a time dependent insecticidal effect on mosquitoes, which was 54.2%, 54.0% and 55.6% total mortality of mosquitoes at respective time intervals on exposures to both Rambo™ paper insecticide and Osimum gratissum, indicating that there was a significant difference in the lethal effect of Rambo™ paper insecticide and scent leave on mosquitoes at (p<0.05). In comparing the lethal effect of Rambo™ paper insecticide and Ocimum grasstisimum on mosquitoes at differnt locations in Jos, at Dogon Karfe, after 10 min of treatment, Rambo™ paper had the highest lethal effect of 21 (84.0%) compared to scent leaves 6 (24.0%) and at Abattoir Jos, after 12 min of treatment, Rambo™ paper had the highest lethal effect of 17 (94.4%) compared to Ocimum grasstisimum 3 (16.7%). These comparisons were significant at p 0.05. This study provides evidence that Ocimum grasstisimum has a mosquitocidal effect. However, the Rambo™ paper gave a better mosquitocidal effect than Ocimum grasstisimum. There is a need to discover better additive or extract options that could give Ocimum grasstisimum a better effect as a natural product available in Africa towards the malaria eradication programme.
Isolation and Characterization of Biosurfactant-producing Alcaligenes sp. YLA11 and its Diesel Degradation Potentials
This study aimed to isolate and identify biosurfactant producing and diesel alkanes degrading bacteria. For this reason, bacteria isolated from the diesel contaminated site were screened for their potential to produce biosurfactants and degrade diesel alkanes. Primary selection of diesel degraders was carried out by using conventional enrichment culture technique where 12 bacterial strains were isolated based on their ability to grow on minimal media supplemented with diesel as sole carbon source, which was followed by qualitative screening methods for potential biosurfactant production. Isolate B11 was the only candidate that shows positive signs for drop collapse, foaming, haemolytic test, oil displacement of more than 22 ± 0.05 mm, and emulsification (E24) of 14 ± 0.30%. The effect of various culture parameters (incubation time, diesel concentration, nitrogen source, pH and temperature) on biodegradation of diesel was evaluated. The optimum incubation time was confirmed to be 120 days for isolates B11, the optimum PH was confirmed as 8.0 for the isolate, Similarly, the optimum temperature was confirmed as 35oC. In addition, diesel oil was used as the sole carbon source for the isolates. The favourable diesel concentration was 12.5 % (v/v) for the isolate. The isolate has shown degradative ability towards Tridecane (C13), dodecane, 2, 6, 10-trimethyl- (C15), Tetradecane (C14), 2,6,10-Trimethyltridecane (C16), Pentadecane (C15). It degraded between 0.27% - 9.65% individual diesel oil alkanes. The strain has exhibited the potential of degrading diesel oil n-alkanes and was identified as Alcaligenes species strain B11 (MZ027604) using the 16S rRNA sequencing.