Microbial degradation of paraffin wax is an efficient method of removing wax deposition from pipelines and enhancing the flow rate of crude oil. The present study was carried out to isolate a potential paraffin-degrading organism from oil wells of Gujarat. Screening for bacteria-utilizing paraffin wax as the sole source of carbon was carried out using 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol (DCPIP) dye as redox indicator. The selected organism was identified as Nocardia farcinica by 16S rRNA sequencing. Nocardia farcinica showed 100% degradation of heneicosane, 65.99% degradation of docosane, and 50.59% degradation of tricosane, the major components of paraffin wax, in 8 days, which was observed by gas chromatography. Eicosane (86%) and heneicosane (80%) were utilized more by the selected organism compared with octacosane (61%) and triacontane (58%) (DCPIP dye method). Gas chromatographic analysis revealed that the selected organism degraded 50% of paraffin crude oil in 10 days. To determine the ability of the selected organism to enhance flow rate, parameters such as viscosity (cps), surface tension (d/cm 2 ), pour point ( C), and flow rate (min/2 ml) were determined, and the result showed significant reduction in all the parameters after the addition of Nocardia farcinica. The viscosity and surface tension of crude oil were reduced by 22 and 6.30 points, respectively, after the addition of Nocardia farcinica. Pour point and flow rate were reduced by 2 and 11 points, respectively, when compared with control. The above findings indicate that Nocardia farcinica isolated from crude oil plays a major role in enhancing the flow rate of crude oil.
The recovery of metals from electronic waste was investigated by using fungal strain Aspergillus fumigatus A2DS, isolated from the mining industry wastewater. Fifty-seven percent of copper and 32% of nickel were leached (analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES)) by the organism after one-step leaching at a temperature of 30 °C (shaking condition for 7 days). Maximum % of copper and nickel were obtained at a pH of 6 (58.7% Cu and 32% Ni), the temperature of 40 °C (61.8% Cu and 27.07% Ni), a pulp density of 0.5% (62% Cu and 42.37% Ni), and inoculums of 1% (58% Cu and 32.29% Ni). The XRD pattern of PCB showed 77.6% of copper containing compounds. XRD analysis of the leachate residue showed only 23.2% Euchorite (ASCu 2 H 7 O 8 ) and 9.4% other copper containing compounds, indicating the leaching property of the fungus. HPLC analysis of the spent medium showed the presence of different acids like citric, Highlights • Aspergillus fumigatus ability to leach metals from PCB of mobile phone has not been reported. The strain isolated showed genotypic differences from the already reported strains of Aspergillus fumigatus, so the isolates was named as Aspergillus fumigatus A2DS.• Fifty-seven percent of copper and thirty-two percent of nickel were leached by the organism after one-step leaching at a temperature of 30 °C (shaking condition for 7 days). Effects of various factors like pH, temperature, inoculum %, and pulp density conditions were also analyzed. Maximum percentage of copper and nickel were obtained at a pH of 6 (58.7% Cu and 32% Ni), temperature of 40 °C (61.8% Cu and 27.7% Ni), a pulp density of 0.5% (62% Cu and 42.37% Ni), and inoculum of 1% (58% Cu and 32.29% Ni).• ICP-OES of the leachate obtained using spent media (containing organic acids like citric acid, succinic acid, and fumaric acid, confirmed by HPLC and FTIR) indicate acidolysis of the metal. Sixty-one percent of the copper and 35% of nickel were leached out after seven days of incubation at shaking condition and 57% of copper and 32.8% of nickel at static condition confirming acidolysis property of the strain.• The main highlight of the study is that the prolonged incubation of the strain until 30 days did not show much leaching ability. The variation in pH and biomass were noted throughout the 20 days. pH decreased up to the sixth day and there after the pH remained constant, confirming the correlation between acid metabolites and leaching.• TEM and SEM-EDX of the residue obtained after leaching confirmed the ability to absorb and adsorb metals on the mycelium. Ten percent copper was adsorbed by the mycelium. Metals like copper and nickel were also absorbed and adsorbed by the fungal mycelium, which will provide an economical alternative for removing toxic heavy metals from industrial wastewater and aid in environmental remediation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
334 Leonard St
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.