Jeremiah David Bala

Removal of heavy metals and antibiotics from treated sewage effluent by bacteria

The increased loads of antibiotics and heavy metals in sewage lead to bacterial cells acquiring resistance to both heavy metals and antibiotics. Therefore, these bacteria can play an important role for removal of pollutants from sewage. The utilization of the microbial processes such as biosorption and enzymatic biodegradation processes has increased during the recent years. These processes are significantly inexpensive and eco-friendly. Enzymatic techniques known as white biotechnology have the ability to degrade complex compounds. Hence, these can be applied to industrial processes. In the current review, the removal of heavy metals and antibiotics from treated sewage effluents by heavy metal/antibiotic-resistant bacteria will be discussed.

A Review on Biofuel and Bioresources for Environmental Applications

Microalgae are considered one of the most promising feedstocks for biofuels. Interest in algae-based biofuels and chemicals has increased over the past few years because of their potential to reduce the dependence on crude oil-based fuels and chemicals. Algae is the most suitable and sustainable feedstock for producing green energy. However, numerous challenges associated with declining fossil fuel reserves as energy sources have accounted for a shift to biofuels as alternative product from algae. Algae is a source for renewable energy production since it can fix the greenhouse gas (CO2) by photosynthesis and does not compete with the production of food. This chapter, therefore, presents a review on the prospects of algae for biofuel production and also highlighted in this article is the macroalgae-based biofuels energy products obtained from algae as the raw biomass. In a nutshell, algae are the most sustainable fuel resource in terms of environmental issues.

Utilization of Microorganisms for Biopurification of Wastewaters (Agricultural and Industrial): An Environmental Perspective

Microbial biotreatment of wastewaters is a concern in recent years. Discharge of toxic pollutants to wastewater collection systems has increased concurrently with society’s progressive industrialization. Although industrialization is inevitable, various devastating ecological and human disasters which have continuously occurred implicate industries as major contributors to pollution problems and environmental degradation of various magnitudes. Organic and inorganic substances which were released into the environment as a result of agricultural and industrial water activities lead to organic and inorganic pollution. It stands to reason that an effective treatment of these wastewaters is necessary. Microorganisms have been tested primarily as an approach for the removal of organic pollutants from wastewaters and have been proven effective at reducing chemical oxygen demand (COD) and toxicity. Biological treatment in the study provides some of the most viable options for the treatment of wastewaters. Microbial degradation of industrial wastewaters involving the application of a variety of microorganisms has demonstrated effective degradability of wastewaters which has attracted attention in recent time. The utilization of these microorganisms for bioremediation of toxic industrial wastewaters offers a very efficient tool for biopurification of contaminated effluents. Bacterial and fungal strains in this study have huge capability of treating wastewaters discharged from various industries. They are ubiquitous in nature and their adaptability to extreme conditions makes them good biodegraders. Their enzyme producing activity makes them effective decolorizers and they remove toxic metals by adsorption ultimately rendering the wastewaters more ecofriendly. Noteworthy, the bacterial and fungal biomasses present many assets for the biopurification of wastewaters.

Qualitative Characterization of Household Greywater in Developing Countries: A Comprehensive Review

Greywater is a type of wastewater generated from household activities which include bathing, laundry and kitchen activities. Greywater has a lower quality than potable water, but it is of higher quality than sewage. This article is a qualitative review presenting the quantities and qualitative characteristics of greywater in developed and developing countries. The chapter aims at highlighting the presence of nitrogen, phosphorus and pathogenic microorganisms. This paper provides a comprehensive review of greywater in order to understand the physiochemical and microbiological composition of greywater which represents the first step in choosing the most appropriate technology for the treatment process and to best evaluate the health risks associated with greywater discharge into the environment.

Microbiota of Palm Oil Mill Wastewater in Malaysia

This study was aimed at identifying indigenous microorganisms from palm oil mill effluent (POME) and to ascertain the microbial load. Isolation and identification of indigenous microorganisms was subjected to standard microbiological methods and sequencing of the 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes for the microbial strains signifies that they were known as Micrococcus luteus 101PB, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia 102PB, Bacillus cereus 103PB, Providencia vermicola 104PB, Klebsiella pneumoniae 105PB, Bacillus subtilis 106PB, Aspergillus fumigatus 107PF, Aspergillus nomius 108PF, Aspergillus niger 109PF and Meyerozyma guilliermondii 110PF. Results revealed that the population of total heterotrophic bacteria (THB) ranged from 9.5 × 105 – 7.9 × 106 cfu/mL. The total heterotrophic fungi (THF) ranged from 2.1 × 104 – 6.4 × 104 cfu/mL. Total viable heterotrophic indigenous microbial population on CMC agar ranged from 8.2 × 105 – 9.1 × 106 cfu/mL and 1.4 × 103 – 3.4 × 103 cfu/mL for bacteria and fungi respectively. The microbial population of oil degrading bacteria (ODB) ranged from 6.4 × 105 – 4.8 × 106 cfu/mL and the oil degrading fungi (ODF) ranged from 2.8 × 103 – 4.7 × 104 cfu/mL. The findings revealed that microorganisms flourish well in POME. Therefore, this denotes that isolating native microorganisms from POME is imperative for effectual bioremediation, biotreatment and biodegradation of industrial wastewaters.

A review of potential factors contributing to epidemic cholera in Yemen

The menace of cholera epidemic occurrence in Yemen was reported in early 2017. Recent reports revealed that an estimated 500,000 people are infected with cholera whereas 2,000 deaths have been reported in Yemen. Cholera is transmitted through contaminated water and food. Yemen is the least developed country among the Middle East countries in terms of wastewater and solid waste management. The population of Yemen is about 24.5 million and generates about 70-100 million m3 of sewage. An estimated 7% of the population has sewerage systems. It has been revealed that 31.2 million m3 of untreated sewage is used for irrigation purposes especially for vegetables and Khat trees. In addition, more than 70% of the population in Yemen has no potable water. They depend on water wells as a water source which are located close to sewage disposal sites. The present review focuses on the current status of water, wastewater as well as solid waste management in Yemen and their roles in the outbreak of cholera. Future prospects for waste management have been proposed.

Microbiology and quality assessment of ‘ burukutu ’ a Nigerian fermented alcoholic beverage

Burukutu is an indigenous alcoholic beverage made in Nigeria from guinea corn. Microbial quality of the brewed burukutu was investigated using standard spread plate method. Ten (10) samples of commercially prepared burukutu were aseptically collected in 500 mL sterile bottles in triplicate from ten randomly selected brew houses in Army barracks and Angwan kaje, Minna, Niger state, Nigeria. The total viable counts, coliform counts and fungal counts ranged from 6.7×10 7 cfu/mL – 7.9×10 7 cfu/mL, 1.6×10 6 cfu/mL – 2.6×10 6 cfu/mL and 2.3×10 4 cfu/mL – 1.54×10 5 cfu/mL respectively for all locations sampled. The microorganisms isolated from commercially produced burukutu are Esherichia coli , Staphylococcus aureus , Bacillus subtillis , Aspergillus niger , Aspergillus flavus and species of Enterobacter , Klebsiella , Saccharomyces , Streptococcus , and Fusarium . Staphylococcus aureus , Bacillus subtillis , E. coli , Aspergillus flavus and Saccharomyces species were isolated from burukutu prepared in the laboratory. The proximate analysis revealed that, pH values ranged from 3.0-3.9, temperature ranged from 27.20 - 29.00, titratable acidity ranged from 0.14-0.16, alcoholic content ranged from 1.8-3.6%, dry matter content ranged from 3.6-8.0%, ash content ranged from 0.16-0.36% and crude protein content ranged from 3.18-3.29%. While the mineral analysis revealed that, magnesium content of the samples ranged from 119.30–1073.61ppm. Laboratory prepared burukutu was found to contain the highest calcium (3532.10ppm) and the lowest (917.28ppm) was found in burukutu from Angwan Kaje. The iron content of the samples ranged from 76.00-113.20ppm. The data obtained from proximate and mineral analysis were subjected to a One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) which showed that there were no significant differences (p>0.05) in levels of crude protein, ash content, temperature, magnesium and iron. While there were significant differences (p<0.05) in levels of pH, total titratable acidity, dry matter content, alcohol content and calcium analyzed. Consumption of burukutu may pose a public health hazard because of reported abilities of some fungi isolated to produce mycotoxins. There is therefore need for training local brewers on basic hygiene and measures to reduce risk of contamination by microorganisms. Keywords: Alcoholic beverage; Burukutu; Microorganisms; Mineral analysis; Proximate analysis; Quality assessment