Bioremediation of Copper‐Ions by Polymer Encapsulated and Immobilized Micrococcus Luteus

Abstract

Bioremediation of copper (Cu2+) with immobilized Micrococcus luteus in polymer matrices has been broadly studied for a wide range of applications including wastewater treatment. Herein, the bioremediation efficiency based on modified immobilization techniques and by the addition of Cu2+ is investigated. Porous composite nonwovens with living M. luteus (living polymer composites) are prepared by encapsulation of the bacterial cells in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) microparticles (M. luteus/PVA microparticles) produced by spray drying method. The M. luteus/PVA microparticles are chemically cross‐linked. The hydrogel microparticles with encapsulated M. luteus are embedded in a nonwoven of poly (lactic acid) (PLA) electrospun short fibers provided by wet‐laid method. Two different models of composite nonwovens are reported, in which the place position of the hydrogel PVA microparticles with encapsulated M. luteus and PLA nonwoven can affect the bioremediation process.

Environmental stressor assessment of hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria biofilms from a marine oil spill

“…These free-living, Gram-positive bacteria have a wide repertoire of biotechnological applications. They produce more than half of the known bioactive compounds derived from microbial sources [56] , have a potential role in bioremediation of toxic organic pollutants and a tolerance to metals [18] , [19] , [20] , [21] , [22] , [23] , [24] . Despite its small genome, this actinobacterium can adapt to strict ecological niches and is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry to test and screen compounds for antibacterial activity because of the reduced set of penicillin-binding proteins and the absence of a wbl C gene.…”

“…Immobilised Micrococcus has been evaluated for the biodegradation of the pyrethroid pesticide cypermethrin [22] . Encapsulated Micrococcus in electrospun fibers and alginate beads have been assessed to absorb large amounts of copper [23] , as have models of porous composite nonwovens with hydrogel microparticles with encapsulated Micrococcus that influence in the copper bioremediation process [24] . Although it has been demonstrated its potential for biodegradation on and in different material and vehicle configurations as described above, and found to be a strong biofilm producer, which makes it a good candidate for crude oil biodegradation [20] , in these situations, it is unclear or unstudied how environmental stressors and biofilm formation are related.…”