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Characterization of bioflocculants produced by bacteria isolated from crude petroleum oil

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to look for high efficient bioflocculant-producing microorganisms. Among 36 bacterial colonies isolated from a crude petroleum oil sample, three of them as Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas spp. exhibited flocculation activity exceeding 90 % after 3 days of cultivation. They were identified by 16 S rDNA sequence analysis as Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas sp. Spectroscopic analysis of the polymers by nuclear magnetic resonance and fourier-transform infrared revealed that the polymers were glycoproteins. These polymers were soluble in water and insoluble in any organic solvents tested. The effects of bioflocculant dosage, temperature and pH on the flocculation activity were evaluated. The maximum bioflocculation activities were observed at an optimum bioflocculant dosage of 3.5 mg/L (strains Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas) and 5.0 mg/L (strain CPO14), respectively. In addition, these biopolymers were able to flocculate kaolin suspension (5 g/L) over a wide range of pH (pH 3–9) and temperature (5–50 °C) tested in the presence of CaCl2. The highest flocculation activities of strains CPO8, CPO13 and CPO14 were 96.03 %, 92.17 % and 97.59 %, respectively in the early stationary phase (at 24 h), while the cell production reached its maximum in the stationary phase (at 72 h). Their efficient flocculation capabilities suggest potential applications in industries.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City for Scientific Research and Technology Applications, Burgelarab, Alexandria, Egypt

    S. Zaki Ph.D. (Associate Professor), S. Farag Ph.D. (Assistant Professor), G. Abu Elreesh Ph.D. (Assistant Professor), M. Nosier (Ph.D. candidate) & D. El Abd Ph.D. (Professor and Head)

  2. Department of Fabrication Technology, Advanced Technology and New Materials Research Institute, City for Scientific Research and Technology Applications, Alexandria, Egypt

    M. Elkady Ph.D. (Assistant Professor)

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  1. S. Zaki Ph.D.
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  2. S. Farag Ph.D.
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  3. G. Abu Elreesh Ph.D.
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  4. M. Elkady Ph.D.
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  5. M. Nosier
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  6. D. El Abd Ph.D.
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Zaki, S., Farag, S., Elreesh, G.A. et al. Characterization of bioflocculants produced by bacteria isolated from crude petroleum oil. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 8, 831–840 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03326266

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03326266

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