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Biodegradation

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Articles 1 - 18 of 18

Full-Text Articles in Biology

Coexistence Of Specialist And Generalist Species Within Mixed Plastic Derivative-Utilizing Microbial Communities, Laura G. Schaerer, Lindsay I. Putman, Isaac Bigcraft, Emma Byrne, Daniel G. Kulas, Ali Zolghadr, Sulihat Aloba, Rebecca Ong, David Shonnard, Stephen Techtmann Oct 2023

Coexistence Of Specialist And Generalist Species Within Mixed Plastic Derivative-Utilizing Microbial Communities, Laura G. Schaerer, Lindsay I. Putman, Isaac Bigcraft, Emma Byrne, Daniel G. Kulas, Ali Zolghadr, Sulihat Aloba, Rebecca Ong, David Shonnard, Stephen Techtmann

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

BACKGROUND Plastic-degrading microbial isolates offer great potential to degrade, transform, and upcycle plastic waste. Tandem chemical and biological processing of plastic wastes has been shown to substantially increase the rates of plastic degradation however, the focus of this work has been almost entirely on microbial isolates (either bioengineered or naturally occurring). We propose that a microbial community has even greater potential for plastic upcycling. A microbial community has greater metabolic diversity to process mixed plastic waste streams and has built-in functional redundancy for optimal resilience. RESULTS Here, we used two plastic-derivative degrading communities as a model system to investigate the …


Deconstructed Plastic Substrate Preferences Of Microbial Populations From The Natural Environment, Lindsay I. Putman, Laura G. Schaerer, Ruochen Wu, Daniel G. Kulas, Ali Zolghadr, Rebecca Ong, David Shonnard, Stephen Techtmann Jun 2023

Deconstructed Plastic Substrate Preferences Of Microbial Populations From The Natural Environment, Lindsay I. Putman, Laura G. Schaerer, Ruochen Wu, Daniel G. Kulas, Ali Zolghadr, Rebecca Ong, David Shonnard, Stephen Techtmann

Michigan Tech Publications

Over half of the world's plastic waste is landfilled, where it is estimated to take hundreds of years to degrade. Given the continued use and disposal of plastic products, it is vital that we develop fast and effective ways to utilize plastic waste. Here, we explore the potential of tandem chemical and biological processing to process various plastics quickly and effectively. Four samples of compost or sediment were used to set up enrichment cultures grown on mixtures of compounds, including disodium terephthalate and terephthalic acid (monomers of polyethylene terephthalate), compounds derived from the chemical deconstruction of polycarbonate, and pyrolysis oil …


Biomass Estimation Of Marine Biofilms On Plastic Surfaces, Kian Banihashemi, Fernando Javier Gil Jun 2022

Biomass Estimation Of Marine Biofilms On Plastic Surfaces, Kian Banihashemi, Fernando Javier Gil

Biological Sciences

Plastics have become a major source of marine pollution, which threatens food safety and quality, human health, and marine ecosystems. Due to the drastic negative effects of plastics in a marine environment, alternative biodegradable plastics are being generated that are more eco-friendly and have less environmental impact. Though some of these plastics are known to biodegrade, the process of degradation for bioplastics has not been heavily studied in a marine environment. This pilot project sought to both quantify the process of biodegradation and compare across different methods for effectiveness of biomass estimation, which serves as an indicator of biodegradation. Plastics …


Naphthalene And Anthracene Degrading Potentials Of Bacteria Isolated From Soil Samples With Evidence Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon(Pah) Contamination, Olatunde Clement Akinola May 2022

Naphthalene And Anthracene Degrading Potentials Of Bacteria Isolated From Soil Samples With Evidence Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon(Pah) Contamination, Olatunde Clement Akinola

Theses (2016-Present)

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) from crude oil and other sources is one of the most serious environmental problems. PAH has an adverse effect on human health, water bodies and agricultural products. Removal of PAH through the physical and chemical methods are expensive and not environmentally friendly. Bioremediation, which is the use of microorganisms to degrade environmental pollutants like naphthalene and anthracene and render them less toxic, provides a cheaper and safer method. The objective of this research is to study the naphthalene and anthracene degrading potentials of bacteria isolated from soil samples with evidence of cude oil contamination. Another objective …


Identification, Enumeration, And Diversity Determinations For Fungi Enriched On Phthalates As Sole Carbon Source From Riverine Sediments Using Molecular Methods, Anthony M. Vicidomini Jan 2022

Identification, Enumeration, And Diversity Determinations For Fungi Enriched On Phthalates As Sole Carbon Source From Riverine Sediments Using Molecular Methods, Anthony M. Vicidomini

All Capstone Projects

Phthalates are a common chemical compound used as plasticizers in various industries that have been linked to several detrimental effects on health. Due to their widespread use, they have become a common environmental pollutant of soil and water. The persistence and distribution of phthalate esters in the environment has given rise to many microorganisms that are able to incorporate phthalates into various metabolic pathways and degrade them into harmless substances, with fungi being among those that are capable of such degradation of industrial polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In this study, the diversity of fungal communities in response to the presence of …


An Ecotoxicological Approach To Microplastics On Terrestrial And Aquatic Organisms: A Systematic Review In Assessment, Monitoring And Biological Impact, Omar A. Vazquez, Saydur Rahman Feb 2021

An Ecotoxicological Approach To Microplastics On Terrestrial And Aquatic Organisms: A Systematic Review In Assessment, Monitoring And Biological Impact, Omar A. Vazquez, Saydur Rahman

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Marine and land plastic debris biodegrades at micro- and nanoscales through progressive fragmentation. Oceanographic model studies confirm the presence of up to ~2.41 million tons of microplastics across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian subtropical gyres. Microplastics distribute from primary (e.g., exfoliating cleansers) and secondary (e.g., chemical deterioration) sources in the environment. This anthropogenic phenomenon poses a threat to the flora and fauna of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems as ingestion and entanglement cases increase over time. This review focuses on the impact of microplastics across taxa at suggested environmentally relevant concentrations, and advances the groundwork for future ecotoxicological-based research on microplastics …


Insight Into The Molecular Mechanisms For Microcystin Biodegradation In Lake Erie And Lake Taihu, Lauren E. Krausfeldt, Morgan M. Steffen, Robert M. Mckay, George S. Bullerjahn, Gregory L. Boyer, Steven W. Wilhelm Dec 2019

Insight Into The Molecular Mechanisms For Microcystin Biodegradation In Lake Erie And Lake Taihu, Lauren E. Krausfeldt, Morgan M. Steffen, Robert M. Mckay, George S. Bullerjahn, Gregory L. Boyer, Steven W. Wilhelm

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

Microcystins are potent hepatotoxins that are frequently detected in fresh water lakes plagued by toxic cyanobacteria. Microbial biodegradation has been referred to as the most important avenue for removal of microcystin from aquatic environments. The biochemical pathway most commonly associated with the degradation of microcystin is encoded by the mlrABCD (mlr) cassette. The ecological significance of this pathway remains unclear as no studies have examined the expression of these genes in natural environments. Six metatranscriptomes were generated from microcystin-producing Microcystis blooms and analyzed to assess the activity of this pathway in environmental samples. Seventy-eight samples were collected from Lake Erie, …


Methods To Improve The Remediation Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) In Aerobic And Anaerobic Environments, Brian Wartell Dec 2018

Methods To Improve The Remediation Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) In Aerobic And Anaerobic Environments, Brian Wartell

Dissertations

Oil spills occur regularly in terrestrial environments and crude oil can contain many compounds that are highly resistant to degradation. Among these compounds are high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which are not only toxic but can also be carcinogenic and/or mutagenic. The first chapter of this dissertation includes an extensive review chapter on the variables affecting the anaerobic degradation of hydrocarbons, with a particular focus on PAHs. Electron acceptors, electron donors, temperature, salinity, pH all play key roles in determining the possibility effective of effective degradation occurring. Thus, by addressing solutions, such as biostimulation, improving environmental variables for …


Identification Of Proteins Differentially Accumulated In Enterococcus Faecalis Under Acrylamide Exposure, Aleksandra Bocian, Konrad Hus, Marcin Jaromin, Miroslaw Tyrka, Andrzej Lyskowski Jan 2017

Identification Of Proteins Differentially Accumulated In Enterococcus Faecalis Under Acrylamide Exposure, Aleksandra Bocian, Konrad Hus, Marcin Jaromin, Miroslaw Tyrka, Andrzej Lyskowski

Turkish Journal of Biology

Analysis of bacterial proteomes can be used to obtain large amounts of information about adaptive microbial mechanisms to changing extracellular conditions. In the past, many bacterial species with the ability to degrade acrylamide were isolated. In this study differences in the Enterococcus faecalis proteome upon acrylamide exposure were investigated. We revealed substantial changes in the proteome of bacteria cultured in different environmental conditions. Microorganisms exposed to acrylamide showed higher accumulation of proteins associated with energy metabolism and its regulation. Moreover, several proteins involved in protection of cells from stress conditions were also identified. These biomacromolecules are involved in proper folding …


Sources And Transformations Of Dissolved Lignin Phenols And Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter In Otsuchi Bay, Japan, Chia-Jung Lu, Ronald Benner, Cedric Fichot, Hideki Fukuda, Youhei Yamashita, Hiroshi Ogawa Jun 2016

Sources And Transformations Of Dissolved Lignin Phenols And Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter In Otsuchi Bay, Japan, Chia-Jung Lu, Ronald Benner, Cedric Fichot, Hideki Fukuda, Youhei Yamashita, Hiroshi Ogawa

Faculty Publications

Dissolved lignin phenols and optical properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) were measured to investigate the sources and transformations of terrigenous DOM (tDOM) in Otsuchi Bay, Japan. Three rivers discharge into the bay, and relatively high values of syringyl:vanillyl phenols (0.73 ± 0.07) and cinnamyl:vanillyl phenols (0.33 ± 0.10) indicated large contributions of non-woody angiosperm tissues to lignin and tDOM. The physical mixing of river and seawater played an important role in controlling the concentrations and distributions of lignin phenols and chromophoric DOM (CDOM) optical properties in the bay. Lignin phenol concentrations and the CDOM absorption coefficient at 350 nm, …


Feasibility And Assessment Of The Phytoremediation Potential Of Duckweed For Triarylmethane Dye Degradation With The Emphasis On Some Physiological Responses And Effect Of Operational Parameters, Samaneh Torbati Jan 2015

Feasibility And Assessment Of The Phytoremediation Potential Of Duckweed For Triarylmethane Dye Degradation With The Emphasis On Some Physiological Responses And Effect Of Operational Parameters, Samaneh Torbati

Turkish Journal of Biology

Phytoremediation is a low-cost and effective technology that removes pollutants, such as dye-containing effluents, from the environment through the use of plants. In the present study, the potential of Lemna minor L. for decolorization and degradation of the triarylmethane dye malachite green was investigated. The results revealed that the decolorization ability of the plant species is as high as 88%. The effect of some operational parameters (initial dye concentration, temperature, pH, and amount (weight) of plant) on the efficiency of biological decolorization process was determined. The metabolic fate of the dye was proposed by identifying 8 intermediate compounds produced during …


Characterization Of Metal-Reducing Microorganisms In Walker Lake: A Terminal Saline Desert Lake, Memona Khan Oct 2014

Characterization Of Metal-Reducing Microorganisms In Walker Lake: A Terminal Saline Desert Lake, Memona Khan

Honors College Theses

Metal-reducing microorganisms are increasingly being recognized as an essential component of aquatic microbial ecosystems involved in decomposition of organic matter. Alkaliphilic microbial reduction from alkaline lakes is a little studied field and one particular ecosystem, Walker Lake, presents the opportunity to investigate alkaliphilic metal reducers in their native ecological setting. Walker lake is a terminal, saline, desert lake with pH 9.4, Walker Lake samples of surface and deep sediments and water column samples from 0, 10, 5, 15, 17.5, 19 m depths were cultured by serial dilution in synthetic Walker Lake medium and supplemented separately with Hydrous Ferric Oxide (HFO), …


The Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Degradation Potential Of Gulf Of Mexico Native Coastal Microbial Communities After The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Anthony D. Kappell, Yin Wei, Ryan J. Newton, Joy D. Van Nostrand, Jizhong Zhou, Sandra L. Mclellan, Krassimira R. Hristova May 2014

The Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Degradation Potential Of Gulf Of Mexico Native Coastal Microbial Communities After The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Anthony D. Kappell, Yin Wei, Ryan J. Newton, Joy D. Van Nostrand, Jizhong Zhou, Sandra L. Mclellan, Krassimira R. Hristova

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) blowout resulted in oil transport, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to the Gulf of Mexico shoreline. The microbial communities of these shorelines are thought to be responsible for the intrinsic degradation of PAHs. To investigate the Gulf Coast beach microbial community response to hydrocarbon exposure, we examined the functional gene diversity, bacterial community composition, and PAH degradation capacity of a heavily oiled and non-oiled beach following the oil exposure. With a non-expression functional gene microarray targeting 539 gene families, we detected 28,748 coding sequences. Of these sequences, 10% were uniquely associated with the severely oil-contaminated beach …


Biodegradation Of The Synthetic Pyrethroid Insecticide Α-Cypermethrin By Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia Og2, Özlem Gür, Murat Özdal, Ömer Faruk Algur Jan 2014

Biodegradation Of The Synthetic Pyrethroid Insecticide Α-Cypermethrin By Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia Og2, Özlem Gür, Murat Özdal, Ömer Faruk Algur

Turkish Journal of Biology

A novel gram-negative bacterium, OG2, was isolated from the body microflora of cockroaches (Blatta orientalis). Based on morphological, biochemical, and 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis, the isolated strain OG2 was identified as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. This bacterial strain was screened for its alpha-cypermethrin-degrading potential with minimal salt medium (MSM). The alpha-cypermethrin degradation and utilization ability of the isolated organism was verified. Bacterial growth was measured by optical density in the presence of the pesticide at different concentrations (50-200 mg/L). S. maltophilia OG2 utilized alpha-cypermethrin as the sole carbon source for growth, and alpha-cypermethrin degradation increased when MSM was supplemented with glucose. …


Phylogenetic Analysis And Characterization Of An Alkane-Degrading Yeast Strain Isolated From Oil-Polluted Soil, Ortansa Csutak, Tatiana Vassu Jan 2014

Phylogenetic Analysis And Characterization Of An Alkane-Degrading Yeast Strain Isolated From Oil-Polluted Soil, Ortansa Csutak, Tatiana Vassu

Turkish Journal of Biology

The isolation and phylogenetic analysis of new yeast strains represent an important basis for the development of practical applications in biotechnology, industry, and bioremediation. The yeast strain RG1 was isolated from oil-polluted soil and characterized using morphological observations and the API 20C AUX system. The amplified ITS1-5.8S rDNA-ITS2 region had 653 bp and the restriction profiles obtained with Cfo I, Dde I, Hae III, Hinf I, and Hpa II endonucleases showed high similarities with those from Rhodotorula glutinis reference strains. The phylogenetic tree based on the Cfo I patterns confirmed the classification of the strain RG1 as belonging to the …


Isolation, Characterization And Identification Ofthiram-Degrading Microorganisms From Soilenrichment Cultures, Nuretti̇n Şahi̇n, Abdurrahman Üsame Tamer Jan 2000

Isolation, Characterization And Identification Ofthiram-Degrading Microorganisms From Soilenrichment Cultures, Nuretti̇n Şahi̇n, Abdurrahman Üsame Tamer

Turkish Journal of Biology

Mixed microbial cultures were obtained by enrichment from soil samples collected from the Gediz basin. A number of species of bacteria and fungi were isolated and partially characterized from enrichment clutures containing the fungicide thiram. According to their responses in morphological and biochemical tests fungi were identified as Aspergillus niger, A. flavus and Penicilium steckii. Bacterial isolates were assigned to the genera: Bacillus, Arthrobacter, Moraxella-like Acinetobacter and Streptomyces. Islates grew in a mineral salts medium containing 0.2 mg/ml thiram and no growth factors were required.


Biodegradation Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, İsmai̇l Demi̇r, Zi̇hni̇ Demi̇rbağ Jan 1999

Biodegradation Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, İsmai̇l Demi̇r, Zi̇hni̇ Demi̇rbağ

Turkish Journal of Biology

Polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as petroleum and petroleum derivatives, are widespread organic pollutants entering the environment, chiefly, through oil spills and incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. Since most PAHs are persist in the environment for a long period of time and bioaccumulate, they cause environmental pollution and effect biological equilibrium dramatically. Biodegradation of some PAHs by microorganisms has been biochemically and genetically investigated. Gene locations for some of these pathways are frequently found in exrachromosomal elements. Determination, isolation and characterization of microorganisms which participate in the bidegradation of PAHs have great significance in the decontamination of the environment in …


Biodegradation Of Heptachlor By Phanerochaetechrysosporium Me 446: The Toxic Effects Ofheptachlor And Its Metabolites On Mice, Münevver Arisoy, Nazif Kolankaya Jan 1998

Biodegradation Of Heptachlor By Phanerochaetechrysosporium Me 446: The Toxic Effects Ofheptachlor And Its Metabolites On Mice, Münevver Arisoy, Nazif Kolankaya

Turkish Journal of Biology

On the basis of degradation properties of Phanerochaete chroysosporiumME 446 found in white-rot fungi in respect of many organic compounds with toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic charac-teristics, the physiological conditions effective for the degradation of heptachlor (1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 8- heptachloro-3a, 4, 7, 7a-tetrahydro-4, 7-methanoindene), an organic chlorine used in insecticides Phanerochaete chrysosporium ME were determined. The potential toxic effects of heptachlor and metabolites on mice were also investigated. For the degradation of heptachlor, the optimum pH was found to be 5, incubation period 20 days, and incubation temperature, 30 o C-35 o C, while the optimum concentrations …