Plastic-eating , waste-eating , Radiation-eating bacteria & enzymes
Plastic-eating bacteria set to revolutionize waste disposal
For these and many other reasons, finding innovative ways to remove plastic waste from the environment has become an issue of increasing importance. Thankfully a group of researchers at Kyoto University in Japan may have seized upon a solution, one involving the humble bacterium Ideonella sakaiensis.
Bottle breakdown. Illustration: P. Huey. Reprinted with permission from U.T. Bornscheuer, Science 351:1154 (2016)
The above equivalent of environmental skeet shooting might even become a popular leisure activity, except for one catch: The bacteria in question digest plastic at an epically slow rate, approximately six weeks to eat through a thin layer of PET. If this method is ever to succeed at disposing of the megalithic Styrofoam structure that my laptop computer shipped in, clearly something faster acting is required.
Thanks to progress being made in genetic engineering, though, a way to rev up the speed at which the bacteria digest plastic could soon be at hand. The scientists performing the study have already sequenced the bacteria’s genome and using gene editing techniques, are well on their way to figuring out a way to increase its plastic eating potency. Technologies like CRISPR, the subject of much hand wringing recently when Chinese scientists used it to edit the genomes of human embryos, are in bad need of a success story.
Thanks to sensationalist media outlets and unquestioning audiences, genetic engineering catches more than its share of flack. In reality, if humanity is to persist very far into the twenty-first century without reverting to primitive hunter-gatherer societies, it will require the aid of advanced forms of genetic engineering – if only to remove the immense amount of plastic waste we are currently producing.
We have previously reported on the success of genetic engineering in combatting the Zika virus, producing bananas enriched with beta-carotene to combat and malnutrition, and making salmon available to a wider range of people. If the removal of plastic waste could be added to that list of accomplishments, it might just succeed in turning the tides of public opinion in favor of genetic engineering. Until then, activities like plastic bag skeet shooting are likely to remain the stuff of imagination .
Radiation-eating bacteria could make nuclear waste safer
LET them eat waste. Bacteria could thrive on nuclear waste dumped deep underground and immobilise it to make it safer.
Certain microbes can use radionuclides such as uranium and neptunium in place of oxygen, studies have found. In doing so, they convert them from soluble to insoluble forms, making them less mobile.
This should give us more confidence in waste disposal plans, says Jonathan Lloyd, a geomicrobiologist at the University of Manchester, UK, who presented the research at the annual meeting of the Microbiology Society in Edinburgh last week.
The UK has accumulated around 4.5 million cubic metres of nuclear waste, enough to fill London’s Wembley stadium four times. Most of it is currently stored in ponds and silos at surface level at Sellafield in Cumbria. The government plans to dispose of the most highly active waste deep underground, in repositories encased in cement, but has yet to decide on a site. These plans take into account physical and chemical properties to stop radioactive material from escaping for hundreds of thousands of years – but not biological.
It had been thought that the presence of cement would result in conditions too alkaline for microbes to grow – it has a pH of around 11, similar to bleach. To see if this was so, Lloyd’s team studied a lime kiln site in the UK’s Peak District to see if microbes could be found growing in conditions similar to those that would be expected in a nuclear disposal site. “We went to see if there was biology there and there was,” says Lloyd. “We found they could grow at pH values you would probably find developing around these cementitious waste forms.”
“Radiation levels found at nuclear waste dumps don’t kill these bacteria, they stimulate them”
The radiation levels typically found at nuclear waste dumps don’t seem to pose a problem for bacteria either.“It doesn’t kill them,” says Lloyd. “If anything, it actually stimulates the microbes.”
The study found that the way bacteria process waste products means hazardous material is less likely to seep into the environment. Some nuclear waste contains cellulose, which can break down to form isosaccharinic acid (ISA) under alkaline conditions. ISA can form a soluble complex with uranium, helping it to leak out of the waste repository. But bacteria seem to use ISA as a carbon source and degrade it, keeping radionuclides in solid form – which means they stay in place.
Microbes may also help prevent radioactive gases escaping. Hydrogen produced by reactions in the repositories could build up pressure and cause them to crack open or explode. But microbes can use hydrogen and keep the levels down. They can also grow in fractures in the rock, form biofilms and clog up pores.
“At the moment, they have safety case models that are built on chemistry and physical containment. If you start including the biology, it means that those models are actually overly conservative, which is a good thing,” says Lloyd.
A shorter version of this article was published in New Scientist magazine on 15 April 2017
Magazine issue 3121, published 15 April 2017
BACTERIA FOR WASTE WATER
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The select microbial species that comprise NatureClean-33 are highly efficient at producing hydrolytic enzymes to catalyze the hydrolysis of grease, fats, proteins and starches resulting in trouble free sewer lines, lift stations and grease traps.
NatureClean's formulation contains proprietary species that are effective under a wide range of environmental conditions. They provide NatureClean-33 with the ability to biodegrade difficult substances such as phenols, detergents, alcohols, hydrocarbons, ligno-cellulose, organic solvents, pharmaceuticals and a broad range of aliphatic and aromatic compounds. NatureClean-33 is available in both a liquid (vegetative state) and dry (spore and microencapsulated vegetative state) formulation. In addition to NatureClean-33, NatureClean offers a Biochemical Oxygen Release (SRO2) product to increase dissolved oxygen levels thereby improving the efficiency of the microbial component.
Aside from being efficacious NatureClean's revolutionary microbial augmentation program is extremely cost effective. The average program cost for maintaining a typical 8 inch main is less than 2 cents per foot per week.
NatureClean provides you with clearly defined parameters, which walk you through both the cleanup and maintenance phase of the program. Once in place this program will greatly reduce if not altogether rid the wastewater collection system of costly grease blockages. When used as directed in grease traps NatureClean-33 greatly reduces the volume of grease thereby reducing the need for pump outs. In addition the grease trap program will drastically reduce the number of blockages and back ups incurred within the secondary lines.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS:
Contains select bacterial species highly efficient at producing hydrolytic enzymes to catalyze the hydrolysis of grease, oils, fats, (lipases) proteins, (proteases) starches (amylases) and cellulose and ligno-cellulose(cellulases) @ a minimum concentration of 1,000,000,000 CFU per gram.
NatureClean - 33 contains 58 different bacterial strains, each selected for its efficiency at degrading certain waste materials. With the bacterial product, the content of the waste stream determines how many enzymes are produced, in what sequence, at what concentration, and for what duration. The bacteria function as millions of tiny enzyme factories to produce the correct balance of degradative power.This formulation has been derived after a 20 yr long trial and error process. It has been specifically formulated to break down through aerobic and facultative anaerobic action, all the biodegradable substances in the wastewater. It is also formulated with H2S degrading bacteria and able to work in a pH range of 2.0 to 10.0.NatureClean - 33 can be site specifically formulated for the breakdown of high amounts of nitrates, nitrites, phosphorus, salts, specific pharmaceuticals and various other chemicals. NatureClean-33 also contains SRO (slow release oxygen) to allow full activity of the bacteria even in very low oxygen situations.
- Bacteria are a diverse group of single-celled organisms, most of which are microscopic.
- Bacteria occur in soil, water, and air, and as symbionts, parasites or pathogens of man and other animals and plants.
- Bacteria are either aerobes-growing in the presence of air or oxygen, or are anaerobes-growing without air or oxygen. Some bacteria are "switch-hitters" (facultative anaerobic) who can switch to grow from one environment (air or air-less) to the other.
- Besides bacteria, other microorganisms such as fungi (yeasts), protozoa, and micro-animals such as rotifers work in concert to affect water quality.
| BOD, COD & DO |
Natural organic detritus and organic waste from wastewater treatment plants, failing septic systems, and agricultural and urban runoff, are a food source for water-borne bacteria. Bacteria consume these organic materials using dissolved oxygen, thus reducing the dissolved oxygen (DO) present for fish and other aquatic life. BOD is a measure of the amount of oxygen that bacteria will consume under aerobic conditions. COD does not differentiate between biologically available and inert organic matter, and it is a measure of the total quantity of oxygen required to chemically break down (oxidize) all organic material into carbon dioxide and water. COD values are always greater than BOD values, but COD measurements can be made in a few hours while BOD measurements take five days. |
| Pond and Tank Treatment | The main focus our pond / tank. aeration / bacterial system is to reduce the BOD and COD in the effluent discharged to natural waters, meeting state and federal discharge criteria. Our wastewater treatment is designed to function as "microbiology farms," where bacteria and other microorganisms are fed oxygen and organic waste. Treatment of the organic waste involves biological breakdown of the organics and chemicals contained in the waste. The waste enters a series of 3 ponds or a series of tanks (from one tank to many depending on the quantity of waste) that have embedded membrane air diffusers on the bottom that inject oxygen-enriched air into them. The ponds / tanks are mixed from bottom up to provide laminar lifting and ensures that the entire water column remains aerobic to support rapid microbial breakdown. These treatment steps are generally considered environmental biotechnologies that harness natural self-purification processes contained in the pond / tank bioreactors for the biodegradation of organic matter and bioconversion of soluble nutrients in the wastewater. |
| Application Specific Microbiology | Each wastewater stream is unique, and so too are the community of microorganisms that process it. This "application-specific microbiology" is the preferred methodology in wastewater treatment affecting the efficiency of biological nutrient removal. The right laboratory-prepared bugs are more efficient in organics removal-if they have the right growth environment. This efficiency is multiplied if microorganisms are allowed to grow as a layer-a biofilm-on specifically designed support media. In this way, optimized biological processing of a waste stream can occur |
| Site Specific Bacteria | Aeration and biofilms building are the key operational parameters that contribute to the efficient degradation of organic matter (BOD/COD removal). Over time the application specific bacteria become site specific as the biofilms develops and matures and is even more efficient in treating that site-specific waste stream. Dairy waste and human waste (as well as industrial waste) have a very specific makeup which is difficult to break down with indigenous bacteria. The huge quantities of nitrates, phosphorus, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and salts along with odor causing sulfates necessitate the addition of very specific bacteria’s to break down the unique makeup of waste. This is combined with the oxygen enhanced aeration system. Efficient processing of waste is therefore a cost saving opportunity in operations that will facilitate the dairies / waste water facilities passing of all Air Quality and EPA standards and be able to remain in business. |
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Borrelia burgdorferi
Nelson, ASM MicrobeLibrary |
Bacteria consist of only a single cell, but don't let their small size and seeming simplicity fool you. They're an amazingly complex and fascinating group of creatures. Bacteria have been found that can live in temperatures above the boiling point and in cold that would freeze your blood. They "eat" everything from sugar and starch to sunlight, sulfur and iron.
There's even a species of bacteria—Deinococcus radiodurans—that can withstand blasts of radiation 1,000 times greater than would kill a human being.
Classification
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| Leucothrix mucor Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 55:1435-1446, 1989 |
Bacteria fall into a category of life called the Prokaryotes (pro-carry-oats). Prokaryotes' genetic material, or DNA, is not enclosed in a cellular compartment called the nucleus.
Bacteria and archaea are the only prokaryotes. All other life forms are Eukaryotes (you-carry-oats), creatures whose cells have nuclei.
(Note: viruses are not considered true cells, so they don't fit into either of these categories.)
Early Origins
Bacteria are among the earliest forms of life that appeared on Earth billions of years ago. Scientists think that they helped shape and change the young planet's environment, eventually creating atmospheric oxygen that enabled other, more complex life forms to develop. Many believe that more complex cells developed as once free-living bacteria took up residence in other cells, eventually becoming the organelles in modern complex cells. The mitochondria (mite-oh-con-dree-uh) that make energy for your body cells is one example of such an organelle.
What They Look Like
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| Ball-shaped Streptococci |
There are thousands of species of bacteria, but all of them are basically one of three different shapes. Some are rod- or stick-shaped and called bacilli (buh-sill-eye).
Others are shaped like little balls and called cocci (cox-eye).
Others still are helical or spiral in shape, like the Borrelia pictured at the top of this page.
Some bacterial cells exist as individuals while others cluster together to form pairs, chains, squares or other groupings.
Where They're Found
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Bacteria that live in guts of surgeon fish
Courtesy Norm Pace |
Bacteria live on or in just about every material and environment on Earth from soil to water to air, and from your house to arctic ice to volcanic vents. Each square centimeter of your skin averages about 100,000 bacteria. A single teaspoon of topsoil contains more than a billion (1,000,000,000) bacteria.
How They Move
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| Bacterium with flagella Harwood, ASM MicrobeLibrary |
Some bacteria move about their environment by means of long, whip-like structures called flagella. They rotate their flagella like tiny outboard motors to propel themselves through liquid environments. They may also reverse the direction in which their flagella rotate so that they tumble about in one place. Other bacteria secrete a slime layer and ooze over surfaces like slugs. Others are fairly stationary.
Because bacteria and viruses cause many of the diseases we're familiar with, people often confuse these two microbes. But viruses are as different from bacteria as goldfish are fromgiraffes. For one thing, they differ greatly in size. The biggest viruses are only as large as the tiniest bacteria. Another difference is their structure. Bacteria are complex compared to viruses.
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A typical bacterium has a rigid cell wall and a thin, rubbery cell membrane surrounding the fluid, or cytoplasm (sigh-toe-plasm), inside the cell. A bacterium contains all of the genetic information needed to make copies of itself—its DNA—in a structure called a chromosome (crow-moe-soam). In addition, it may have extra loose bits of DNA called plasmids floating in the cytoplasm. Bacteria also have ribosomes (rye-bo-soams), tools necessary for copying DNA so bacteria can reproduce. Some have threadlike structures called flagella that they use to move.
A virus may or may not have an outermost spiky layer called the envelope. All viruses have a protein coat and a core of genetic material, either DNA or RNA. And that's it. Period.
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Viral vs. Bacterial Reproduction
Bacteria contain the genetic blueprint (DNA) and all the tools (ribosomes, proteins, etc.) they need to reproduce themselves. Viruses are moochers. They contain only a limited genetic blueprint and they don't have the necessary building tools. They have to invade other cells and hijack their cellular machinery to reproduce. Viruses invade by attaching to a cell and injecting their genes or by being swallowed up by the cell.
What They Eat
Bacteria have a wide range of environmental and nutritive requirements.
Some bacteria are photosynthetic (foe-toe-sin-theh-tick)—they can make their own food from sunlight, just like plants. Also like plants, they give off oxygen. Other bacteria absorb food from the material they live on or in. Some of these bacteria can live off unusual "foods" such as iron or sulfur. The microbes that live in your gut absorb nutrients from the digested food you've eaten.
Most bacteria may be placed into one of three groups based on their response to gaseous oxygen. Aerobic bacteria thrive in the presence of oxygen and require it for their continued growth and existence. Other bacteria are anaerobic,
and cannot tolerate gaseous oxygen, such as those bacteria that live in
deep underwater sediments or those which cause bacterial food
poisoning. The third group is the facultative anaerobes, which prefer growing in the presence of oxygen, but can continue to grow without it.
Bacteria may also be classified both by the mode by which they obtain their energy. Classified by the source of their energy, bacteria fall into two categories: heterotrophs and autotrophs. Heterotrophs derive energy from breaking down complex organic compounds that they must take in from the environment -- this includes saprobic bacteria found in decaying material, as well as those that rely on fermentation or respiration.
The other group, the autotrophs, fixes carbon dioxide to make their own food source; this may be fueled by light energy (photoautotrophic), or by oxidation of nitrogen, sulfur, or other elements (chemoautotrophic). While chemoautotrophs are uncommon, photoautotrophs are common and quite diverse. They include the cyanobacteria, green sulfur bacteria, purple sulfur bacteria, and purple nonsulfur bacteria. The sulfur bacteria are particularly interesting, since they use hydrogen sulfide as hydrogen donor, instead of water like most other photosynthetic organisms
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