Raw, domestic sewage of Kuwait City contained about 106 ml-1 colony forming units of Enterobacter hormaechei subsp. oharae (56.6%), Klebsiella spp. (36%), and Escherichia coli (7.4%), as characterized by their 16S rRNA-gene sequences. The isolated coliforms grew successfully on a mineral medium with crude oil vapor as a sole source of carbon and energy. Those strains also grew, albeit to differ...

Double-vial radiorespirometry was used to estimate the biodegradation rates of 14C-labeled phenol in a landfill leachate and a secondary treated domestic wastewater. Rates were found to be comparable for each material at each of the three concentrations tested. Sewage microorganisms immediately began biodegrading the [14C]phenol; landfill leachate microorganisms required a lag period before max...

Nitroaromatic compounds are released into the biosphere almost exclusively from anthropogenic sources. Some compounds are produced by incomplete combustion of fossil fuels; others are used as synthetic intermediates, dyes, pesticides, and explosives. Recent research revealed a number of microbial systems capable of transforming or biodegrading nitroaromatic compounds. Anaerobic bacteria can red...

Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) is critical for the preservation of our lakes and streams. Large amounts of waste products are passed through our sewage treatment systems on a continuous basis. Nutrient loads discharged from these systems must be reduced to avoid eutrophication of the receiving waters. Microbes are particularly useful in biodegrading most of the compounds treated by wastewate...

Biodegradation refers to the chemical dissolution of materials by microorganisms or other biological means. Biodegradable materials are those that can be consumed by microorganisms whereas biodegradability of a material refers to the ability of that material to be decomposed by biological agents, especially bacteria. Plastics are synthetic or semi – synthetic long chain polymeric molecules that...

Abstract Background Plastics now pollute marine environments across the globe. On entering these environments, plastics are rapidly colonised by a diverse community of microorganisms termed plastisphere. Members plastisphere have myriad functions typically found in any biofilm but, additionally, number studies claimed presence plastic-biodegrading organisms, although with little mechanistic ver...