Antibiofilm activity of biomolecules: gene expression study of bacterial isolates from brackish and fresh water biofouled membranes

Biologia ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Smita Pal ◽  
Asifa Qureshi ◽  
Hemant J. Purohit

AbstractMembrane biofouling is a common and emerging problem, where cells get cemented and create problems in industrial process. Frequent chemical cleaning used for the treatment of biofouled membrane shortens the membrane life time and creates ‘stress’ to existing microflora to trigger more exopolysaccharides production, which becomes the principle cause of biofouling. To understand safe and environmentally feasible antifouling strategies, key biofilm forming representative bacteria isolated from brackish and fresh water biofouled membranes were subjected to natural agents, such as vanillin (0.05–0.4 mg/mL) and salicylic acid (0.1–0.7 mg/mL). Salicylic acid (0.7 mg/mL) was found to be effective against only

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-94
Author(s):  
Xueye Wang ◽  
Jinxing Ma ◽  
Zhichao Wu ◽  
Zhiwei Wang

Abstract Chemical cleaning with hypochlorite is routinely used in membrane-based processes. However, a high-transient cleaning efficiency does not guarantee a low biofouling rate when filtration is restarted, with the physiological mechanisms largely remaining unknown. Herein, we investigated the microbial regrowth and surface colonization on membrane surfaces after NaOCl cleaning had been completed. Results of this study showed that the regrowth of model bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, was initially subject to inhibition due to the damage of key enzymes' activity and the accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species although the oxidative stress induced by NaOCl had been removed. However, with the resuscitation ongoing, the stimulatory effects became obvious, which was associated with the enhanced production of N-acyl homoserine lactones and the secretion of eDNA that ultimately led to more severe biofouling on the membrane surface. This study elucidates the inhibition–stimulation mechanisms involved in biofilm reformation (membrane biofouling) after membrane chemical cleaning, which is of particular significance to the improvement of cleaning efficiency and application of membrane technologies.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giantommaso Scarascia ◽  
Luca Fortunato ◽  
Yevhen Myshkevych ◽  
Hong Cheng ◽  
TorOve Leiknes ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTAnaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) for wastewater treatment has attracted much interest due to its efficacy in providing high quality effluent with minimal energy costs. However, membrane biofouling represents the main bottleneck for AnMBR because it diminishes flux and necessitates frequent replacement of membranes. In this study, we assessed the feasibility of combining bacteriophages and UV-C irradiation to provide a chemical-free approach to remove biofoulants on the membrane. The combination of bacteriophage and UV-C resulted in better log cells removal and twice higher extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) concentration reduction in mature biofoulants compared to UV-C. A reduction in the relative abundance of Acinetobacter spp. and selected gram-positive bacteria associated with the membrane biofilm was also achieved by the new cleaning approach. Microscopic analysis further revealed the formation of cavities in the biofilm due to bacteriophages and UV-C irradiation, which would be beneficial to maintain water flux through the membrane. When the combined treatment was further compared with the common chemical cleaning procedure, a similar reduction on the cell numbers was observed (1.4 log). However, combined treatment was less effective in removing EPS compared with chemical cleaning. These results suggest that the combination of UV-C and bacteriophage have an additive effect in biofouling reduction, representing a potential chemical-free method to remove reversible biofoulants on membrane fitted in an anaerobic membrane bioreactor.SIGNIFICANCEAnaerobic membrane bioreactors can achieve high quality effluent with a reduced energy consumption. However, biofouling represents the main bottleneck for membrane filtration efficiency. Biofouling is commonly reduced through chemical treatment. These agents are often detrimental for the environment and health safety due to the formation of toxic byproducts. Therefore, we present a new approach, based on the additive antifouling action of bacteriophages infection and UV-C irradiation, to reduce anaerobic membrane biofouling. This new strategy could potentially delay the occurrence of membrane fouling by removing the reversible fouling layers on membranes, in turn reducing the frequencies and amount of chemicals needed throughout the course of wastewater treatment.


2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 289-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lan Hee Kim ◽  
Am Jang ◽  
Hye-Weon Yu ◽  
Sung-Jo Kim ◽  
In S. Kim

The present paper proposes a new imaging of a stand-alone unit for the simultaneously production of fresh water and hydrogen gas from sea water and brackish water. The proposed stand-alone unit can contribute effectively to the integrated water policy in Egypt's present and future. The fresh water is produced using desalination with reverse osmosis technologies driven by renewable energy systems. This is thought to be the optimum solution to the potable water scarcity at remote areas characterized by the lack of conventional energy sources like heat and electricity grid. Different new electrochemical concepts for hydrogen production from the produced brine stream are illustrated with the emphasis on the safely removal of the evolved chlorine. Electricity used, either for driving high-pressure pumps or for ionization of salts contained in the sea water, is produced from a hydrogen fuel cell unit. The proposed stand-alone unit can become widely utilized not just for drinking water applications but for industrial process applications where high purity is demand.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre M. B. Moreira ◽  
Gustavo Garios Lage ◽  
Manuel G. S. Tendillo ◽  
Xingpeng Zhang ◽  
Danielle Rodrigues ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (11) ◽  
pp. 919-929 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel C. Wilson ◽  
Christine J. Kempthorne ◽  
Philip Carella ◽  
David K. Liscombe ◽  
Robin K. Cameron

Arabidopsis thaliana exhibits a developmentally regulated disease-resistance response known as age-related resistance (ARR), a process that requires intercellular accumulation of salicylic acid (SA), which is thought to act as an antimicrobial agent. ARR is characterized by enhanced resistance to some pathogens at the late adult-vegetative and reproductive stages. While the transition to flowering does not cause the onset of ARR, both processes involve the MADS-domain transcription factor SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP). In this study, ARR-defective svp mutants were found to accumulate reduced levels of intercellular SA compared with wild type in response to Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato. Double mutant and overexpression analyses suggest that SVP and SOC1 (SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CO 1) act antagonistically, such that SVP is required for ARR to alleviate the negative effects of SOC1 on SA accumulation. In vitro, SA exhibited antibacterial and antibiofilm activity at concentrations similar to those measured in the intercellular space during ARR. In vivo, P. syringae pv. tomato formed biofilm-like aggregates in young susceptible plants, while this was drastically reduced in mature ARR-competent plants, which accumulate intercellular SA. Collectively, these results reveal a novel role for the floral regulators SVP and SOC1 in disease resistance and provide evidence that SA acts directly on pathogens as an antimicrobial agent. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .


2020 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 744-752
Author(s):  
S. Ahmed ◽  
S. Chung ◽  
N. Sohail ◽  
I. A. Qazi ◽  
A. Justin

Abstract Biofouling is unwanted accumulation of microbial population on the membrane surface which limits the use of membrane bioreactor (MBR) in the market. Disruption of the biofilm formation by Quorum Quenching (QQ) by using cell entrapping beads (CEBs) is an approach with great potential to control membrane biofouling as the beads used provide not only mitigating effect on biofilm formation, by interfering Quorum Sensing, but also physical forces to detach the biofilm from the membrane surface. This research aimed to develop QQ-CEB with locally available chemicals in Pakistan and its application to evaluate the QQ effect together with physical and chemical cleaning. Various CEBs were made of different mixtures of sodium alginate and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and their quality was tested considering physical and biological aspects. Rhodococcus sp. BH4 and Pseudomonas putida were entrapped in the CEBs and then introduced in MBR as one of biofouling control methods along with standard backwash and chemical backwash. The CEBs made of specific concentration of PVA were proven to be more durable and helpful in mitigating biofouling as compared to that of sodium alginate. An MBR operated with PVA-alginate QQ CEBs together with chemical backwash showed the best performance without deterioration of effluent quality.


2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 199-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.A. Andrade ◽  
P.M. Glória ◽  
J.V.H. d'Angelo ◽  
D.O. Perissotto ◽  
R.A. Lima

The main objective of this work is to study the technical viability of using the effluent generated in paper machines (white water) in the wash presses of the bleaching stage, reducing fresh water consumption. As a case study, the industrial process of Ripasa S.A. Celulose e Papel was evaluated. White water rate is about 700 m3/h and it is not possible to reuse all this volume in the bleaching stage without causing operational problems (fouling in tubes and clogging in the screens). A mass balance of the bleaching unit was developed in an electronic spreadsheet in order to evaluate the possibility of reducing fresh water consumption, using only a fraction of the available white water in the wash presses. To achieve this objective some physical-chemistry properties of the white water stream and of other streams of the process were determined. The maximum concentration of some non-process elements (Si, Ca, Mn and Fe), which could accumulate in the process, were determined in order to establish some parameters to allow process integration of the streams involved, considering operational constraints. The results obtained have shown that it is possible to reduce approximately by 13% the consumption of fresh water and this methodology has been satisfactory.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document