Comparison of Water-Removal Efficiency of Molecular Sieves Vibrating by Rotary Shaking and Electromagnetic Stirring from Feedstock Oil for Biofuel Production

Adequate water-removal techniques are requisite to remain superior biofuel quality. The effects of vibrating types and operating time on the water-removal efficiency of molecular sieves were experimentally studied. Molecular sieves of 3 Å pore size own excellent hydrophilic characteristics and hardly absorb molecules other than water. Molecular sieves of 3 Å accompanied by two different vibrating types, rotary shaking and electromagnetic stirring, were used to remove initial water from the reactant mixture of feedstock oil in order to prevent excessive growth or breeding of microorganisms in the biofuel product. The physical structure of about 66% molecular sieves was significantly damaged due to shattered collision between the magnetic bar and molecular sieves during electromagnetic stirring for 1 h. The molecular sieves vibrated by the rotary shaker appeared to have relatively higher water-removal efficiency than those by the electromagnetic stirrer and by keeping the reactant mixture motionless by 6 and 5 wt.%, respectively. The structure of the molecular sieves vibrated by an electromagnetic stirrer and thereafter being dehydrated appeared much more irregular and damaged, and the weight loss accounted for as high as 19 wt.%. In contrast, the structure of the molecular sieves vibrated by a rotary shaker almost remained original ball-shaped, and the weight loss was much less after regenerative treatment for those molecular sieves. As a consequence, the water-removal process using molecular sieves vibrated by the rotary shaker is considered a competitive method during the biofuel production reaction to achieve a superior quality of biofuels.

Bacteria Screening with Sufficient Nitrate Extraction from Wastewater

Search for effective biological strain for use to remedy water pollution has been limited. This study was performed to search for effective bacteria capable of extracting nitrate from wastewater. Samples from abattoir inside (Abi) and abattoir outside (Abt), fishpond of kwalkwalawa (Fpk) and mabera fishpond (Fpm) wastewater were used. Using conventional standard plate technique as 1.96×107 cfu/ml (Abi) had highest bacteria count while 1.05×107 cfu/ml (Fpk) had minimal. The obtained pure colonies were morphologically and biochemically characterized including two Enterobacter specie, Proteus and Pseudomonas specie. The isolated organisms were used as a test organism for the removal of nitrate present in high nitrate containing medium. Prior to the extraction, the wastewater samples were physicochemically analyzed using parameters like color, odor, pH, alkalinity, hardness, temperature and nitrate. For nitrate extraction, bacteria were inoculated in a separate tubes containing nitrate broth, incubated in a rotary shaker 150rpm at 37°C for 16hrs. The supernatant from 10minutes centrifuged culture were used for nitrate removal evaluation after a series of reaction and stop using spectrophotometer at 420nm. The absorbance 0.732 proteus specie after estimation of nitrate in a medium was maximal while Enterobacter specie 0.574 was minimal. Meanwhile, two of the Enterobacter specie has similar absorbance 0.012 while Proteus and Pseudomonas species had 0.016 and 0.010 respectively in the nitrate concentration removed within the media. The nitrate present in the medium was compared with a known standard curve prepared with NaNO3 at 100-1000 ppm. The result indicated that bacteria from fish pond wastewaters had highest potential for extracting nitrate and that inherent bacteria are capable of removing pollutant nitrate and the bacteria may be able to remove nitrate efficiently if genetically engineered.

Levan Produced by the Halophilic Bacterium Bacillus licheniformis BK1 as a Nanoparticle for Protein Immobilization

This study examined the potential of levan from the halophilic bacterium Bacillus licheniformis BK1 as a nanoparticle system for protein immobilization. Levan produced by B. licheniformis BK1 was obtained by incubating the bacterium in the optimized Belghith medium, containing 15% (w/v) sucrose, 7.5% (w/v) NaCl and pH 8, in a rotary shaker at 150 rpm for 16 h, at 40 °C. The structure of the levan produced was verified by FTIR and NMR. It appeared that the levan had the same structure as that from Erwinia herbicola. The obtained levan was then used as a nanoparticle system to immobilize BSA and lysozyme proteins. The BSA-nanoparticle had a non-spherical shape with a surface charge of about -4.72 mV and a size distribution in the range of 83–298 nm. In contrast, the lysozyme-nanoparticle exhibited more spherical shapes with a surface charge of -2.57 mV and 206–285 nm size distribution. The efficiency of immobilization was about 74.26% and 81.77% for BSA and lysozyme, respectively. The study thus shows that levan produced by B. licheniformis BK1 can be used as a nanoparticle system for protein immobilization.

Isolasi dan Seleksi Bakteri Pendegradasi Solar Dari Pelabuhan Penyeberangan Kendari – Wawonii, Sulawesi Tenggara

This study aimed to obtain the ability of bacteria to degrade diesel fuel. Method of this research was exploration method. Bacteria were isolated by enrichment method used SMSSe enriched diesel 2% (v/v). Selection of hidrocarbonoclastic bacteria based on the ability of to grow on agar medium solid. The bacteria in the test made in the form of suspension with Mc Farland Standard 0.5. Test of bacterial isolates were used 10% of the inoculum put in 150 mL media with different concentrations of diesel fuel were 1%, 2% and 3% and incubated on a rotary shaker at 120 rpm. Samples were taken on 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20 days to test diesel emulsion by centrifugation at a speed of 3500 rpm ±15 minutes, the comparison between the media and diesel 4:1. Growth in the amount of bacteria accounted by a Standard Plate Count method. The levels of the diesel rest calculated every sampling during incubation. The selection results of obtained diesel degrading bacteria isolates that PSI.1 PSII.1 and PSIII.2. All of bacteria have the ability to degrade diesel fuel in different treatment, the best result in lowered diesel fuel that were a concentration of 3% during 20 days of incubated at PSII.1 isolate, that have the highest ability to reduce levels of diesel up to 70,70%.Keywords: Hydrocarbonoclastic, Degradation, Diesel fuels ABSTRAK Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui kemampuan bakteri dalam mendegradasi solar. Penelitian ini adalah penelitian eksploratif. Isolasi bakteri menggunakan metode enrichment dengan media yang digunakan yaitu SMSSe yang diperkaya solar 2% (v/v). Pemilihan bakteri hidrokarbonoklastik berdasarkan kemampuan bakteri tumbuh pada media agar padat. Inokulum bakteri dibuat dalam bentuk suspensi dengan Standar Mc Farland 0,5. Pengujian kemampuan degradasi solar dilakukan menggunakan media minimal dengan variasi konsentrasi solar 1%, 2% dan 3% dan diinkubasi pada rotary shaker. Sampel diambil pada hari ke 1, 5, 10, 15 dan 20 untuk uji emulsi solar dengan menghitung volume solar yang teremulsi. Pertumbuhan jumlah bakteri dihitung dengan metode Standard Plate Count. Kadar sisa solar dihitung setiap pengambilan sampel selama inkubasi. Hasil seleksi bakteri pendegradasi solar diperoleh tiga isolat yaitu PSI.1 PSII.1 dan PSIII.2. Ketiga isolat bakteri memiliki kemampuan mendegradasi solar pada perlakuan yang berbeda, hasil terbaik dalam menurunkan kadar solar yaitu konsentrasi 3% selama 20 hari inkubasi pada isolat PSII.1 yang memiliki kemampuan tertinggi menurunkan kadar solar hingga 70,70%. Kata kunci : Hidrokarbonoklastik, Pendegradasi, Solar

QUANTITATIVE ESTIMATION OF MAGNESIUM CARBONATE IN PAN MASALA AND GUTKA

Objective: The objective of present study is to detect and quantitatively estimate Magnesium Carbonate, a potential carcinogen used for its anti-caking property in various brands of Pan Masala and Gutka by the simple, economic and effective method.Methods: The water-soluble extract of various brands of Pan Masala and Gutka was prepared by a wrist action rotary shaker for 60 min. The extract was filtered, and the filtrate was titrated against 0.1N EDTA using Eriochrome Black T indicator at pH 10 and using Murexide indicator at pH 12.Results: The presence of Magnesium Carbonate was found to be less than 2% in all brands of Pan Masala and less than 3% in all brands of Gutka samples used in the analysis.Conclusion: There is Magnesium Carbonate used in all brands of Pan Masala and Gutka used in the present study.

Investigation of lactose hydrolysis by crude extract of Trichoderma viride ATCC 32098

Objective:Aim of this study was to find the optimum pH, temperature and incubation conditions for efficient lactose hydrolysis by beta-galactosidase produced byMaterial and methods:ATCC 32098 was incubated at 30°C for 8 days on a rotary shaker. Lactose hydrolysis was calculated based on the amount of glucose measured. Hydrolysis was carried out in lactose solution, milk and whey.Results:Maximum efficiency was observed at pH 5.0 and at 60°C. Agitation increases lactose hydrolysis slightly. When enzymatic lactose hydrolysis in milk, whey and lactose solutions were studied, it was observed that after 26 h, hydrolyses in lactose solution and whey were almost 100% and hydrolysis in milk was 92%.Conclusion:It can be concluded that the enzyme produced from

Efficient production of nonactin by Streptomyces griseus subsp. griseus

Here we report the production of the cyclic macrotetrolide nonactin from the fermentation culture of Streptomyces griseus subsp. griseus. Nonactin is a member of a family of naturally occurring cyclic ionophores known as the macrotetrolide antibiotics. Our fermentation procedure of Streptomyces griseus was performed at 30 °C and 200 rev·min−1 for 5 days on a rotary shaker. Diaion HP-20 and Amberlite XAD-16 were added to the fermentation medium. Isolated yield of nonactin was up to 80 mg·L−1 using our methodology. Nonactin is commonly known as an ammonium ionophore and also exhibits antibacterial, antiviral, and antitumor activities. It is also widely used for the preparation of ion-selective electrodes and sensors. Chemical synthesis of nonactin has been achieved by some groups; however, overall yields are very low, making efficient biosynthesis an attractive means of production.

Bacterial Remediation of Polyethylene by Serratia marcescens sub sp. marcescens and its Supernatant

Improper disposal of commodity plastics such as polyethylene (PE) in the environment causes land pollution and soil infertility. It is unsightly and strongly threatens plant and animal life. The current effort describes the bacteria-mediated biodegradation of polyethylene bySerratia marcescens marcescens(SM) without prior exposure to thermo-oxidative aging. This study further describes the mechanism involved in the biodegradation of PE, in which a carbonless medium containing essential minerals and vitamins and powdered PE, were placed in the presence of overnight cultures ofSM.The samples were incubated at 30°C, centrifuged at a speed of 141 revolutions per minute (rpm) in a rotary shaker for ten weeks in order to observe the degradation process. The effects of cell-free supernatants (from theSMcultures) upon the degradation of sterile PE are elucidated. The results show that the supernatants fromSMdegrade PE faster than the bacteria, with a 37.5 percent of degradation rate within a month. The SEM micrographs suggest that the biodegradation of polyethylene involves the formation and coalescence of microvoids. The DSC results revealed that the feeding activity of SM is mostly favored at the crystalline region due to its high energy.

Cellulose production by Gluconacetobacter kakiaceti GM5 in two batch process using vinasse as culture media

The present study was conducted to evaluate the cellulose production by Gluconacetobacter kakiaceti GM5 by means of two aerobic treatments: the static discontinuous fermentation process (treatment 1) and the discontinuous fermentation process in a rotary shaker (treatment 2). All these experiments were carried out using vinasse as experimental culture media (VM) and were compared with standard media containing glucose at 2% (standard medium (SM)). A sample of each treatment was extracted every 24 h over a period of 168 h. The maximum rates of cellulose produced in treatment 1 using SM added up to 3.63 ± 0.18 g l−1, and to 4.15 ± 0.16 g l−1 when VM was used. The amount of cellulose produced in treatment 2 using SM was 2.95 ± 0.09 g l−1 (which suggests an increase of 37%), and added up to 1.84 ± 0.07 g l−1 when using VM. A better global yield of both treatments in terms of sugar consumption after 168 h was obtained when using VM: 32% in treatment 1, whereas in treatment 2 it was 9%. A 20% decrease on vinasse COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) values was found to be yet another important advantage of working with this strain.

Cellulose production by Gluconacetobacter sp. GM5 in a static semi-continuous fermentation process using vinasse as culture media

In this study the cellulose production by Gluconacetobacter sp. GM5 was evaluated with a static semi-continuous fermentation, as well as the cellulose production adding ethanol 1.4% in a static discontinuous fermentation process and discontinuous fermentation in a rotary shaker with agitation speed of 250 rpm. All these experiments were done with vinasse as experimental culture media (MV) and it was compared with a standard medium containing glucose (MS). A 15% of inoculum was added to all treatments, and incubated at 29°C. A sample of each one was extracted every 24 and 48 h in periods of 168, 192 and 362 h depending on the fermentation. During the cellulose production with media MV in semi-continuous process a synchronous phenomenon was observed, obtaining a rate of 0.878±0.033 g/l every 48 h. Adding ethanol 1.4% to the culture, with media MS the cellulose production was five times bigger and with media MV was duplicated.