Handbook of hydrocarbon and lipid microbiology
01 Jan 2010-
TL;DR: The results allowed us to assess the importance of knowing the carrier and removal status of phytochemical components of hydrocarbons and the role that these properties play in the development of microbial communities.
Abstract: VOLUME 1: HYDROCARBONS, OILS AND LIPIDS: DIVERSITY, PROPERTIES AND FORMATION Part 1 Diversity and Physico-Chemical Characteristics, Part 2 Formation and Location, Part 3 Transfer from the Geosphere to Biosphere, Part 4 Environmental Chemistry, Part 5 Biochemistry of Biogenesis, Part 6 Genetics of Biogenesis , Part 7 The Microbes (Section Editor: Terry Mcgenity), Part 8 Methanogenic Communities VOLUME 2: MICROBIAL UTILIZATION OF HYDROCARBONS, OILS AND LIPIDS Part 1 Introduction: Theoretical Considerations, Part 2 Biochemistry of Aerobic Degradation , Part 3 Biochemistry of Anaerobic Degradation, P art 4 Enzymology , Part 5 Genetics (the Paradigms) (Section Editor: Victor De Lorenzo), Part 6 Functional Genomics (the Paradigms) (Section Editor: Victor De Lorenzo), Part 7 Cellular Ecophysiology: Problems of Hydrophobicity, Bioavailability , Part 8 Cellular Ecophysiology: Uptake, Part 9 Cellular Ecophysiology: Problems of Solventogenicity, Solvent Tolerance, Part 10 Cellular Ecophysiology: Problems of Feast or Famine VOLUME 3: MICOBES AND COMMUNITIES UTILIZING HYDROCARBONS, OILS AND LIPIDS Part 1 The Microbes (Section Editor: Terry Mcgenity), Part 2 Microbes Utilizing Non-Hydrocarbon Components of Fossil Fuels, Part 3 Microbial Communities Based on Hydrocarbons, Oils and Fats: Natural Habitats, Part 4 Microbial Communities Based on Hydrocarbons, Oils and Fats: Anthropogenically-Created Habitats VOLUME 4: CONSEQUENCES OF MICROBIAL INTERACTIONS WITH HYDROCARBONS, OILS AND LIPIDS Part 1 Introduction , Part 2 Applications: Organics Degradation, Part 3 Applications: Biomonitoring, Part 4 Applications: Fuel Production , Part 5 Applications: Chemicals Production, Part 6 Global Consequences of the Consumption and Production of Hydrocarbons, Part 7 Human-Animal-Plant Health and Physiology Consequences of Microbial Interactions with Hydrocarbons and Lipids , Part 8 The Future VOLUME 5: EXPERIMENTAL PROTOCOLS AND APPENDICES Part 1 Study Systems (Section Editor: Jan Roelof Van Der Meer), Part 2 Analytical Procedures (Section Editor: Jan Roelof Van Der Meer), Part 3 Microbiology and Community Procedures (Section Editor: Jan Roelof Van Der Meer), Part 4 Biochemical Procedures (Section Editor: Jan Roelof Van Der Meer), Part 5 Genetic and System Procedures (Section Editor: Jan Roelof Van Der Meer), Part 6 Application Procedures (Section Editor: Jan Roelof Van Der Meer), Part 7 Appendices
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TL;DR: The current knowledge and the latest advances in biosurfactant applications and the biotechnological strategies being developed for improving production processes and future potential are reviewed.
Abstract: Microorganisms synthesise a wide range of surface-active compounds (SAC), generally called biosurfactants. These compounds are mainly classified according to their molecular weight, physico-chemical properties and mode of action. The low-molecular-weight SACs or biosurfactants reduce the surface tension at the air/water interfaces and the interfacial tension at oil/water interfaces, whereas the high-molecular-weight SACs, also called bioemulsifiers, are more effective in stabilising oil-in-water emulsions. Biosurfactants are attracting much interest due to their potential advantages over their synthetic counterparts in many fields spanning environmental, food, biomedical, and other industrial applications. Their large-scale application and production, however, are currently limited by the high cost of production and by limited understanding of their interactions with cells and with the abiotic environment. In this paper, we review the current knowledge and the latest advances in biosurfactant applications and the biotechnological strategies being developed for improving production processes and future potential.
1,248 citations
TL;DR: The metabolic and ecological features that make fungi suited for use in bioremediation and waste treatment processes are described, and their potential for applications is discussed on the basis of these strengths.
Abstract: Fungi possess the biochemical and ecological capacity to degrade environmental organic chemicals and to decrease the risk associated with metals, metalloids and radionuclides, either by chemical modification or by influencing chemical bioavailability. Furthermore, the ability of these fungi to form extended mycelial networks, the low specificity of their catabolic enzymes and their independence from using pollutants as a growth substrate make these fungi well suited for bioremediation processes. However, despite dominating the living biomass in soil and being abundant in aqueous systems, fungi have not been exploited for the bioremediation of such environments. In this Review, we describe the metabolic and ecological features that make fungi suited for use in bioremediation and waste treatment processes, and discuss their potential for applications on the basis of these strengths.
792 citations
TL;DR: It is concluded that oil contamination from the DH spill had a profound impact on the abundance and community composition of indigenous bacteria in Gulf beach sands, and evidence points to members of the Gammaproteobacteria (Alcanivorax, Marinobacter) and AlphaproteOBacteria (Rhodobacteraceae) as key players in oil degradation there.
Abstract: A significant portion of oil from the recent Deepwater Horizon (DH) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was transported to the shoreline, where it may have severe ecological and economic consequences. The objectives of this study were (i) to identify and characterize predominant oil-degrading taxa that may be used as model hydrocarbon degraders or as microbial indicators of contamination and (ii) to characterize the in situ response of indigenous bacterial communities to oil contamination in beach ecosystems. This study was conducted at municipal Pensacola Beach, FL, where chemical analysis revealed weathered oil petroleum hydrocarbon (C 8 to C40) concentrations ranging from 3.1 to 4,500 mg kg 1 in beach sands. A total of 24 bacterial strains from 14 genera were isolated from oiled beach sands and confirmed as oil-degrading microorganisms. Isolated bacterial strains were primarily Gammaproteobacteria, including representatives of genera with known oil degraders (Alcanivorax, Marinobacter, Pseudomonas, and Acinetobacter). Sequence libraries generated from oiled sands revealed phylotypes that showed high sequence identity (up to 99%) to rRNA gene sequences from the oil-degrading bacterial isolates. The abundance of bacterial SSU rRNA gene sequences was 10-fold higher in oiled (0.44 10 7 to 10.2 10 7 copies g 1 ) versus clean (0.024 10 7 to 1.4 10 7 copies g 1 ) sand. Community analysis revealed a distinct response to oil contamination, and SSU rRNA gene abundance derived from the genus Alcanivorax showed the largest increase in relative abundance in contaminated samples. We conclude that oil contamination from the DH spill had a profound impact on the abundance and community composition of indigenous bacteria in Gulf beach sands, and our evidence points to members of the Gammaproteobacteria (Alcanivorax, Marinobacter) and Alphaproteobacteria (Rhodobacteraceae) as key players in oil degradation there. The blowout of the Deepwater Horizon (DH) drilling rig resulted in the world’s largest accidental release of oil into the ocean in recorded history. The equivalent volume of approximately 4.9 million barrels of light crude oil were discharged into the Gulf of Mexico from April to July 2010 (OSAT/ NOAA report [56] and oil budget calculator [43]), and the total hydrocarbon discharge was 40% higher if gaseous hydrocarbons are included (34). A large amount of the discharged oil was transported to the surface and reached the shoreline. Although cleanup efforts have remained aggressive, a substantial portion of the oil remains trapped in coastal ecosystems, especially in benthic areas. Permeable sandy sediments cover large areas of the seafloor in the Gulf of Mexico, including beach ecosystems. Marine sands act as efficient biocatalytic filters that play an important role in the biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nutrients in
779 citations
TL;DR: The high efficiency of their minute intestinal bioreactors makes termites promising models for the industrial conversion of lignocellulose into microbial products and the production of biofuels.
Abstract: Termites depend on an intricate symbiosis with flagellated protists, archaea and bacteria in their guts for the digestion of lignocellulose. Here, Andreas Brune gives an overview of the diversity of the termite microbiota and highlights important microbial processes in the gut microecosystem and their implications for host nutrition.
635 citations
TL;DR: This review highlights better understanding of the problems associated with the toxicity of heavy metals to the contaminated ecosystems and their viable, sustainable and eco-friendly bioremediation technologies, especially the mechanisms of phytoremediations ofheavy metals along with some case studies in India and abroad.
Abstract: The ability of heavy metals bioaccumulation to cause toxicity in biological systems—human, animals, microorganisms and plants—is an important issue for environmental health and safety. Recent biotechnological approaches for bioremediation include biomineralization (mineral synthesis by living organisms or biomaterials), biosorption (dead microbial and renewable agricultural biomass), phytostabilization (immobilization in plant roots), hyperaccumulation (exceptional metal concentration in plant shoots), dendroremediation (growing trees in polluted soils), biostimulation (stimulating living microbial population), rhizoremediation (plant and microbe), mycoremediation (stimulating living fungi/mycelial ultrafiltration), cyanoremediation (stimulating algal mass for remediation) and genoremediation (stimulating gene for remediation process). The adequate restoration of the environment requires cooperation, integration and assimilation of such biotechnological advances along with traditional and ethical wisdom to unravel the mystery of nature in the emerging field of bioremediation. This review highlights better understanding of the problems associated with the toxicity of heavy metals to the contaminated ecosystems and their viable, sustainable and eco-friendly bioremediation technologies, especially the mechanisms of phytoremediation of heavy metals along with some case studies in India and abroad. However, the challenges (biosafety assessment and genetic pollution) involved in adopting the new initiatives for cleaning-up the heavy metals-contaminated ecosystems from both ecological and greener point of view must not be ignored.
449 citations