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Batch culture ofAzohydromonas latawas investigated for the production of intracellular poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB). In order to determine the C:N value of the culture media for maximizing the microbial productivity of PHB, different concentrations of glucose and ammonium chloride were used as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. The optimal temperature and shaking rate was obtained at 30°C and 180 rpm, respectively. The maximum intracellular PHB concentration obtained was 5.09 g/l, which was 20% (w/w) of the cell dry weight (CDW) after 72 h. Also, the synthesis of PHB was growth associated with the C:N ratio of 153.71. The maximum calculatedYp/swas 0.212 (gr/gr) and the specific production rate value after 12 h was 0.264 g/l/h, with 40 and 50 g/l of glucose concentrations, respectively, with 0.5 g/l ammonium chloride kept constant. The chemical composition of the resulting PHB was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The Leudeking–Piret model was used for kinetic analysis of the PHB production, the statistical analysis of which was modeled by response surface methodology. An artificial neural network technique was applied for modeling of the microbial production of PHB byA. lataas a function of the glucose concentration and CDW, where the minimum mean square error of the model was 0.0012 and 0.0038 for glucose concentrations of 50 g/l and 40 g/l, respectively, when 0.5 g/l ammonium chloride was kept constant. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Biosurfactants are surface-active compounds capable of reducing surface tension and interfacial tension. Biosurfactants are produced by various microorganisms. They are promising replacements for chemical surfactants because of biodegradability, nontoxicity, and their ability to be produced from renewable sources. However, a major obstacle in producing biosurfactants at the industrial level is the lack of cost-effectiveness. In the present study, by using corn steep liquor (CSL) as a low-cost agricultural waste, not only is the production cost reduced but a higher production yield is also achieved. Moreover, a response surface methodology (RSM) approach through the Box–Behnken method was applied to optimize the biosurfactant production level. The results found that biosurfactant production was improved around 2.3 times at optimum condition when the CSL was at a concentration of 1.88 mL/L and yeast extract was reduced to 25 times less than what was used in a basic soybean oil medium (SOM). The predicted and experimental values of responses were in reasonable agreement with each other (Pred-R2 = 0.86 and adj-R2 = 0.94). Optimization led to a drop in raw material price per unit of biosurfactant from $47 to $12/kg. Moreover, the biosurfactant product at a concentration of 84 mg/L could lower the surface tension of twice-distilled water from 72 mN/m to less than 28 mN/m and emulsify an equal volume of kerosene by an emulsification index of (E24) 68% in a two-phase mixture. These capabilities made these biosurfactants applicable in microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR), hydrocarbon remediation, and all other petroleum industry surfactant applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A soil microbial fuel cell was investigated that uses soil and groundwater to generate electricity. The cathode surface area and materials are always important for increasing power. Power density was shown to be a linear function of cathode surface area. Biofilm formation on the graphite cathode was observed to be helpful in enhancing power output and maximum performance reached 89.2 mW/m2. As an application for the insertion-type soil microbial fuel cell, nitrate removing was investigated in cathode. Nitrate was reduced in an aerobic cathode at the rate of 37.5 mg nitrate/lit/day and 55 mg nitrate/lit/day in anaerobic cathode. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Petroleum contamination of soil is a serious problem throughout oil-producing countries. One of the cost-effective options for removing contaminants from shallow soils is phytoremediation. Vegetation, by stimulating the microorganisms via releasing root exudates near the rhizosphere, may play an important role in the biodegradation of toxic organic chemicals in soil. This experiment investigates the efficiency of this emerging technology following the implementation of five plant species. The study was carried out in a greenhouse using crude oil-contaminated soil from sites around the Tehran Refinery. To study the effect of a water-absorbent agent, we also used hydrogel in this experiment. The microbial population and the C and N content of soil were assessed in the beginning, middle, and the end of the trial. Our findings show that Puccinellia distans and tall fescue could increase microbial population significantly. Hydrogel has a positive impact in this increasing and improved capability of Puccinellia distans for hydrocarbon degradation. C/N ratio for Puccinellia distans treatments decline from 39.57 to 35. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]