Biodegradation of Alprazolam in Pharmaceutical Wastewater Using Mesoporous Nanoparticles-Adhered Pseudomonas stutzeri

Abstract

The release of pharmaceutical wastewaters in the environment is of great concern due to the presence of persistent organic pollutants with toxic effects on environment and human health. Treatment of these wastewaters with microorganisms has gained increasing attention, as they can efficiently biodegrade and remove contaminants from the aqueous environments. In this respect, bacterial immobilization with inorganic nanoparticles provides a number of advantages, in terms of ease of processing, increased concentration of the pollutant in proximity of the cell surface, and long-term reusability. In the present study, MCM-41 mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) were immobilized on a selected bacterial strain to remove alprazolam, a persistent pharmaceutical compound, from contaminated water. First, biodegrading microorganisms were collected from pharmaceutical wastewater, and Pseudomonas stutzeri was isolated as a bacterial strain showing high ability to tolerate and consume alprazolam as the only source for carbon and energy. Then, the ability of MSN-adhered Pseudomonas stutzeri bacteria was assessed to biodegrade alprazolam using quantitative HPLC analysis. The results indicated that after 20 days in optimum conditions, MSN-adhered bacterial cells achieved 96% biodegradation efficiency in comparison to the 87% biodegradation ability of Pseudomonas stutzeri freely suspended cells. Kinetic study showed that the degradation process obeys a first order reaction. In addition, the kinetic constants for the MSN-adhered bacteria were higher than those of the bacteria alone.

Isolation of Novel Bacterial Strains Pseudomonas extremaustralis CSW01 and Stutzerimonas stutzeri CSW02 from Sewage Sludge for Paracetamol Biodegradation

“…While other bacteria included in the Pseudomonas genus have already been described as APAP degraders, such as P. moorei KB4 [ 21 ] or P. aeruginosa HJ1012 [ 19 ], no strains of Pseudomonas extremaustralis or Stutzerimonas stutzeri have previously been described, according to our knowledge, as APAP degraders. However, several strains of S. stutzeri (named as P. stutzeri ) have been reported to degrade other organic pollutants, such as alkyl derivatives of aromatic hydrocarbons [ 40 ], crude oil [ 41 ], textile dye [ 42 ] and other pharmaceuticals, such as alprazolam [ 43 ]. Pseudomonas extremaustralis ’s discovery is much more recent [ 44 ].…”

Adenine Base Editing System for Pseudomonas and Prediction Workflow for Protein Dysfunction via ABE

“…Their adaptability to extreme habitats is reflected in their genomic characteristics. Recently, several resistance mechanisms to heavy metal and other environmental pollutants have been reported in these strains. − Exploiting these mechanisms for future applications like environmental remediation requires expansion of their molecular toolbox.…”

“…4 P. stutzeri is alprazolam-resistant bacteria with applications in alprazolam biodegradation in pharmaceutical industry wastewaters. 5 P. chengduensis strain MBR T can form biofilm and absorb cadmium Cd(II), preventing cadmium toxicity in the environment. 6 Precise and efficient molecular tools for genectic manipulation are required to exploit the full potential of these species.…”

“…P. stutzeri is alprazolam-resistant bacteria with applications in alprazolam biodegradation in pharmaceutical industry wastewaters P.…”

Progressive Biocatalysts for the Treatment of Aqueous Systems Containing Pharmaceutical Pollutants

“…In recent years, immobilized bacterial cells have been widely used for various biotechnological purposes, including those that are preferred for the biodegradation of various PCPs ( Table 4 ) [ 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 ]. An analysis of the current publications ( Table 4 ) allows us to conclude that the methods of cell inclusion in gel matrices [ 59 ] and sorption of cells on various carriers are actively used as main methods for the immobilization of bacteria [ 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 ]. Both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial cells are immobilized by these methods.…”