Abstract
In Northern Israel, olive mills discharge liquid waste causing contamination of subterranean aquifers with phenol, rendering them albeit temporarily, unfit for both drinking and irrigation. The impact of groundwater pollution due to phenol spillage can be extensive. We developed a model system for the biodegradation of phenol-contaminated wastewater by the bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum. Experiments consisting of suspended cultures demonstrated the native ability of this organism to utilize phenol for its metabolic pathways enabling degradation, at levels of nearly 100 ppm within 24 hours. With the use of bioinformatic data, a complete degradation pathway was constructed. Quantitative Real Time PCR analysis of the first two enzymes in this pathway revealed very distinct expression patterns and two different regulation mechanisms were postulated. Additionally, an electrospinning core-shell system was used to assemble electrospun microtubes containing bacteria on porous metallic carriers. We used these carriers as a new immobilization technique and demonstrated their significant phenol degrading capacity in a batch bioreactor configuration. This system demonstrates the feasibility of constructing a water treatment system for the management of phenol-contaminated water.
Highlights
During the winter of 2006, olive mill wastewater (OMW) was discharged into the local sewage system near the city of Maalot-Tarshicha in the Western Galilee, Israel
We used four 250 ml Erlenmeyer flasks at 30 ̊C and 150 RPM for a batch bioreactor experiment and used 109 bacteria for each method
The results clearly show that the phenol degradation was most efficient in suspended cells and lowest in bacteria encapsulated in carriers
Summary
During the winter of 2006, olive mill wastewater (OMW) was discharged into the local sewage system near the city of Maalot-Tarshicha in the Western Galilee, Israel. A few days later, springs of three local rural villages (Kabri, Gaaton and Neve Ziv) suffered massive chemical and biological contamination that included a substantial increase in organic material (including phenol), metals and general bacterial count. A joint survey conducted by The Geological Survey of Israel and The National Water Authority declared that the source of the phenol contamination (a toxic organic compound) was the olive mill wastewater described above [2]. The Ministry of Environmental Protection initiated a pilot project, wherein several Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) tanks were installed to reduce the biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from the OMW before discharging it into the public sewage system [3]. The outcome was the need for a specific, targeted, biological process that can reduce phenol concentration to acceptable levels as regulated by legislative authorities
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