Abstract
Electrospun hollow polymeric microfibers (microtubes) were evaluated as an encapsulation method for the atrazine degrading bacterium Pseudomonas sp. ADP. Pseudomonas sp. ADP cells were successfully incorporated in a formulation containing a core solution of polyethylene oxide dissolved in water and spun with an outer shell solution made of polycaprolactone and polyethylene glycol dissolved in a chloroform and dimethylformamide. The resulting microtubes, collected as mats, were partially collapsed with a ribbon-like structure. Following encapsulation, the atrazine degradation rate was low (0.03 ± 0.01 mg atrazine/h/g fiber) indicating that the electrospinning process negatively affected cell activity. Atrazine degradation was restored to 0.5 ± 0.1 mg atrazine/h/g fiber by subjecting the microtubes to a period of growth. After 3 and 7 days growth periods, encapsulated cells were able to remove 20.6 ± 3 and 47.6 ± 5.9 mg atrazine/g mat, respectively, in successive batches under non-growth conditions (with no additional electron donor) until atrazine was detected in the medium. The loss of atrazine degrading capacity was regained following an additional cell-growth period.
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Acknowledgments
We wish to thank the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute, the Stephen and Nancy Grand Water Research Institute and the BMBF-MOST German-Israeli Water Technology Research Fund (grant no. GR2336/103WT 1) for supporting this research.
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Klein, S., Avrahami, R., Zussman, E. et al. Encapsulation of Pseudomonas sp. ADP cells in electrospun microtubes for atrazine bioremediation. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 39, 1605–1613 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-012-1164-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-012-1164-3