Abstract
Amongst more than 1000 isolates collected in various cold environments, the strain Arthrobacter psychrolactophilus Sp 31.3 has been selected for its ability to grow and to produce exoenzymes at low temperatures, its inability to grow at 37°C, its non-halophilic character and its growth versatility on various media. This non-pathogenic strain displays a strong resistance to desiccation and storage at room temperature and is suitable for the production of freeze-dried bacterial starters. When grown in a synthetic wastewater at 10°C, the strain induces a complete clarification of the turbid medium and efficiently hydrolyses proteins, starch and lipids in the broth. Furthermore, this strain has a remarkable capacity to improve the biodegradability of organic compounds in wastewater as indicated by a BOD5/COD ratio of 0.7.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Région Wallonne, Belgium (First Europe contract Biorem) and by the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique-FNRS, Belgium (FRFC grants). The facilities offered by the Institut Polaire Français are also acknowledged. We thank S. Shivaji (Hyderabad, India) for providing the CMS strains. SD’A was a FNRS post-doctoral researcher.
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Communicated by T. Matsunaga.
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Gratia, E., Weekers, F., Margesin, R. et al. Selection of a cold-adapted bacterium for bioremediation of wastewater at low temperatures. Extremophiles 13, 763–768 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-009-0264-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-009-0264-0