The study assesses the biological effects of nanoparticles (NPs) based on seed germination and root elongation tests. Lettuce, radish and cucumber seeds were incubated with various metal oxide NPs (CuO, NiO, TiO2, Fe2O3, Co3O4), of which only CuO and NiO showed deleterious impacts on the activities of all three seeds. The measured EC50 for seed germinations were: lettuce seed (NiO: 28 mg/L; CuO: 13 mg/L), radish seed (NiO: 401 mg/L; CuO: 398 mg/L), and cucumber seed (NiO: 175 mg/L; CuO: 228 mg/L). Phytotoxicity of TiO2, Fe2O3 and Co3O4 to the tested seeds was not significant, while Co3O4 NP solution (5 g/L) was shown to improve root elongation of radish seedling. Metal oxide NPs tended to adsorb on seed surfaces in the aqueous medium and released metal ions near the seeds. Therefore, metal oxide NPs had higher phytotoxicity than free metal ions of the equivalent concentrations. Further, the surface area-to-volume ratio of seeds may also affect NPs phytotoxicity, whereby small seeds (i.e., lettuce) were the most sensitive to CuO and NiO NPs in our experiments.
Citation: Wu SG, Huang L, Head J, Chen DR, Kong IC, et al. (2012) Phytotoxicity of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles is Related to Both Dissolved Metals Ions and Adsorption of Particles on Seed Surfaces. J Pet Environ Biotechnol 3:126. doi:10.4172/2157-7463.1000126

Nopalea cochenillifera, a potential chromium (VI) hyperaccumulator plant

Hexavalant chromium [Cr(VI)] tolerance and accumulation in in vitro grown Nopalea cochenillifera Salm. Dyck. plants was investigated. A micropropagation protocol was establish for a rapid multiplication of N. cochenillifera and [Cr(VI)] tolerance and accumulation was studied in in vitro grown cultures. Cr concentration was estimated by atomic absorption spectroscopy in roots and shoots to confirm plant's hyperaccumulation capacity. Plants showed tolerance up to 100 ?M K2Cr2O7 without any significant changes in root growth after 16 days treatment; whereas, chlorophyll content in plants treated with 1 and 10 ?M K2Cr2O7 were not so different than the control plant. The levels of lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation increased significantly (p?<?0.01) with increasing concentration of chromium. Exposures of N. cochenillifera to lower concentrations of K2Cr2O7 (?10 ?M) induced catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) significantly (p?<?0.001) but higher concentrations of K2Cr2O7 (>100 ?M) inhibited the activities of CAT and SOD. Roots accumulated a maximum of 25,263.396?±?1,722.672 mg?Cr?Kg?1 dry weight (DW); while the highest concentration of Cr in N. cochenillifera shoots was 705.714?±?32.324 mg?Cr?Kg?1?DW. N. cochenillifera could be a prospective hyperaccumulator plant of Cr(VI) and a promising candidate for phytoremediation purposes.
Environmental Science and Pollution Research
2012, DOI: 10.1007/s11356-012-1125-4Online First™
Vinayak S. Adki, Jyoti P. Jadhav and Vishwas A. Bapat

Anaerobic benzene degradation under denitrifying conditions: Peptococcaceae as dominant benzene degraders and evidence for a syntrophic process

An anaerobic microbial community was enriched in a chemostat that was operated for more than 8 years with benzene and nitrate as electron acceptor. The coexistence of multiple species in the chemostat and the presence of a biofilm, led to the hypothesis that benzene-degrading species coexist in a syntrophic interaction, and that benzene can be degraded in syntrophy by consortia with various electron acceptors in the same culture. The benzene-degrading microorganisms were identified by DNA-stable isotope probing with [U-13C]-labelled benzene, and the effect of different electron donors and acceptors on benzene degradation was investigated. The degradation rate constant of benzene with nitrate (0.7 day?1) was higher than reported previously. In the absence of nitrate, the microbial community was able to use sulfate, chlorate or ferric iron as electron acceptor. Bacteria belonging to the Peptococcaceae were identified as dominant benzene consumers, but also those related to Rhodocyclaceae and Burkholderiaceae were found to be associated with the anaerobic benzene degradation process. The benzene degradation activity in the chemostat was associated with microbial growth in biofilms. This, together with the inhibiting effect of hydrogen and the ability to degrade benzene with different electron acceptors, suggests that benzene was degraded via a syntrophic process.

Environmental Microbiology

Volume 14, Issue 5, pages 1171-1181, May 2012

Bioremediation of Domestic Wastewater and Production of Bioproducts from Microalgae Using Waste Stabilization Ponds

Open pond lagoon systems have many advantages over mechanicalized methods and are able to remove nitrogen and phosphorus to required EPA levels. Interestingly, nitrogen and phosphorus found in weak domestic wastewater are at an ideal level for microalgae cultivation and growth. Microalgae can grow to high densities by assimilating nitrogen and phosphorus, thus removing these inorganic nutrients from the wastewater. In addition, open pond lagoon systems also allow ideal mixing and adequate light exposure for microalgae growth. Microalgae play a vital role in recycling carbon in the biosphere by converting carbon dioxide into organic compounds through photosynthesis, while also producing oxygen via the oxidation of water. Metal compounds such as Cr, Cu, Pb, Cd, Mn, As, Fe, Ni, Hg, and Zn can also be bioremediated by microalgae. Microalgae such as Chlorella and Scenedesmus have shown tolerance and bioremediation capabilities to certain heavy metals. Additionally, microalgae have been used for the bioremediation of textile dyes in wastewater from industrial textile processes. These bioremediation capabilities of microalgae are useful for environmental sustainability and algal biomass can be used as feedstock for the production of high energy compounds. Algal biomass can be processed chemically and biologically to produce high value products such as bioacetone, biobutanol, biodiesel, and biomethane. Microalgae as feedstocks provide high densities of carbohydrates (typically comprising glucose units), triacylglycerides and free fatty acids that can be used to produce biofuels and biodiesel. It has been demonstrated that microalgae can be a promising feedstock and will play a vital role in the future production of clean and renewable energy.
Rahman A, Ellis JT, Miller CD (2012) Bioremediation of Domestic Wastewater and Production of Bioproducts from Microalgae Using Waste Stabilization Ponds. J Bioremed Biodeg 3:e113.
doi:10.4172/2155-6199.1000e113

Economic impacts and impact dynamics of Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) cotton in India

Despite widespread adoption of genetically modified crops in many countries, heated controversies about their advantages and disadvantages continue. Especially for developing countries, there are concerns that genetically modified crops fail to benefit smallholder farmers and contribute to social and economic hardship. Many economic studies contradict this view, but most of them look at short-term impacts only, so that uncertainty about longer-term effects prevails. We address this shortcoming by analyzing economic impacts and impact dynamics of Bt cotton in India. Building on unique panel data collected between 2002 and 2008, and controlling for nonrandom selection bias in technology adoption, we show that Bt has caused a 24% increase in cotton yield per acre through reduced pest damage and a 50% gain in cotton profit among smallholders. These benefits are stable; there are even indications that they have increased over time. We further show that Bt cotton adoption has raised consumption expenditures, a common measure of household living standard, by 18% during the 2006-2008 period. We conclude that Bt cotton has created large and sustainable benefits, which contribute to positive economic and social development in India.
www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1203647109/-/DCSupplemental.

Biofuel Waste Product Recycled for Electricity

Distillers Dried Grain with Solubles (DDGS) is a waste product from bioethanol production that is commonly used as a low-cost animal feed. Researchers from the University of Surrey incorporated DDGS together with bacteria-inoculated sludge from a waste water treatment plant in their microbial fuel cell. The design of the fuel cell meant that the bacteria, which used the DDGS for growth, were physically separated from their oxygen supply. This meant that the bacteria were forced into sending electrons around a circuit leading to a supply of oxygen. By tapping into this electron flow, electricity could be generated from the waste.
Microbial fuel cells offer the ability to convert a wide range of complex organic waste products into electrical energy, making it an attractive target technology for renewable energy. Finding cost-efficient starting products is necessary to help commercialize the process, explained Lisa Buddrus who is carrying out the research. "DDGS is potentially one of the most abundant waste products in the UK. As the biofuel industry expands the supply of DDGS will become more abundant," she said. "The next step for us is to identify the electrogenic bacterial species that grow on DDGS. Furthermore, by looking at genetics across this microbial community. As well as being low-cost, microbial fuel cells that use DDGS are very environmentally friendly. The waste that is left following electricity extraction is of greater value, as it is less reactive with oxygen, making it less polluting.
A lot of microbial fuel cell research focuses on developing environmental sensors in remote locations. "Self-powered sensors in remote places such as deserts or oceans can be used to provide important data for monitoring weather or pollution.

Science Daily (Sep. 4, 2012)
Weathering Uncertainty: Traditional Knowledge for Climate Change Assessment and Adaptation

When considering climate change, indigenous peoples and marginalized populations warrant particular attention. Impacts on their territories and communities are anticipated to be both early and severe due to their location in vulnerable environments. There is therefore a need to understand the specific vulnerabilities, adaptation capacities and longer-term aspirations of indigenous peoples and marginalized communities the world over. Indigenous and traditional knowledge contribute to this broader understanding.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its Fourth Assessment Report recognized traditional knowledge as 'an invaluable basis for developing adaptation and natural resource management strategies in response to environmental and other forms of change'. Despite this recognition, indigenous knowledge has remained largely outside the scope of IPCC assessments.
In order to strengthen consideration of indigenous knowledge in IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report (5AR), to be released in 2014, this publication draws the attention of Authors of the 5AR and climate policy makers to the rapidly growing scientific literature on the contributions of indigenous and traditional knowledge to understanding climate change vulnerability, resilience and adaptation.
Nakashima, D.J., Galloway McLean, K., Thulstrup, H.D., Ramos Castillo, A. and Rubis, J.T. 2012. Weathering Uncertainty: Traditional Knowledge for Climate Change Assessment and Adaptation. Paris, UNESCO, and Darwin, UNU, 120 pp.

Cleaning water with nature

Though most of the Earth is covered with water, very little is safe to drink. According to the World Health Organization, 2 billion people live in unsanitary conditions and do not have access to clean water. Now, the Biodesign Institute has begun to tap the potential that is already provided by nature to provide clean water by developing new ways to use microbial communities for important tasks like detoxifying contaminated water, wastewater, sludge, sediment or soil; capturing renewable energy from biomass; sensing contaminants or pathogens; and protecting the public from dangerous exposure to pathogens. One example of a new biotechnology used to treat the worldwide problem of low quality water is the hydrogen-based membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR), an environmental biotechnology that our research team from the Center for Environmental Biotechnology has taken from fundamental research through commercialization activity.Our researchers are employing leading-edge research tools - including molecular microbial ecology and modeling - so that we can develop a fundamental understanding of microbial communities and think like the microorganisms.We apply modern materials - including membranes and nanomaterials - and good engineering strategies to create systems that work for the microorganisms so that they work for us. We partner with private and public companies, individual investors and the public sector to commercialize our technologies and get them into the marketplace.
http://www.biodesign.asu.edu/research/projects/cleaning-water-with-nature

Photosynthetic Bacteria for Better Biofuels and Beyond

Arizona State University (ASU) scientists are developing a new, renewable source of biodiesel and other green products. Scientists are developing genetically optimized versions of photosynthetic bacteria, called cyanobacteria, that will use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to over-produce and secrete fatty acids as a raw material for the production of biofuel. This revolutionary concept shifts the focus from growing dense cultures of algae or bacteria for harvest of fats to a continuous microbial production system as biocatalysts (mini factories) from which a renewable fuel feedstock, namely fatty acids, is collected and converted into biofuel.  This system has distinct advantages over traditional biofuels approaches including:

http://www.biodesign.asu.edu

Biomining and bleaching of ores

A major challenge for copper mining in Chile is the high concentration of arsenium and chloride in copper ores as well as the necessity to keep the mining wastes on the site and not to remove and dump them near urban settlements, e.g. around the city of Calama in the extreme north of the country. It was therefore necessary to design a safer and cheaper bioleaching process by arsenium-resistant and chloride-tolerant microorganisms, to be applied not only to new mining sites, but also to mining wastes from which the maximum amount of residual copper would be extracted.
Bioleaching had been used only for the recovery of copper from wastes until the mid 1980's. The process was upgraded thanks to multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research efforts by several universities, research institutes and the productive sector, with the support of the Chilean government, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). In 2000, there were over five mines using bacterial bioleaching, and there were several projects to expand the use of this technology in the future, so as to raise its contribution to national copper production over 8 per cent to 10 per cent.

Environmental biotechnology: bioremediation

Bioremediation is a key area of 'white' biotechnology, because the elimination of a wide range of pollutants from water and soils is an absolute requirement for sustainable development. There are numerous processes of cleaning water, industrial effluents and solid wastes, using microorganisms aerobically and anaerobically. Some of them are quite sophisticated, while others are simple and adapted to the conditions of developing countries. For instance, using microalgae (and in particular blue-green algae or cyanobacteria) in ponds to eliminate nitrogen and phosphorous, after organic matter has been degraded by bacteria, leads to water that can be recycled for irrigating non-food crops (e.g. cotton) or for industrial purposes; in addition, microalgal biomass can be used as feed.

Bioremediation and genetic engineering

The molecular basis of heavy metal accumulation is being studied with a view to transferring the relevant genes to plant species having a wider geographic and ecological distribution. Transgenesis applied to phytoremediation is certainly incipient. Its application on a large scale is confronted with the evaluation of risks relating to the transfer of the bacterial transgenes to plants consumed by herbivorous animals that might acquire the property of hyper-accumulating toxic metals or compounds. Genetic transformation of the microorganisms involved in bioremediation could enhance the process through the introduction of genes controlling specific degradation pathways; it also aims at degrading recalcitrant compounds such as pesticides and other xenosubstances.
A team of US researchers led by Richard Meagher of the University of Georgia, Athens, were able to introduce into the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana, two foreign genes from Escherichia coli for the synthesis of two enzymes: one which catalyzes the transformation of arsenate into arsenite, the other which induces the formation of a complex with arsenite, that is retained in the leaves. These remarkable results led to transgenic Arabidopsis plants which could accumulate three to four times more arsenium than normal plants and could become very effective depolluting agents. The same research team is well known for their "transgenic" work particularly in the transfer to plants of bacterial genes, coding for the conversion of toxic mercury into its less dangerous volatile form In Cambridge, United Kingdom, Neil Bruce and his team are transforming tobacco plants with bacterial genes that control the synthesis of an enzyme detoxifying TNT (trinitrotoluene).

Removal of toxic metals

Researchers discovered that many bacteria had developed high tolerance to heavy metals, which related to the binding of these metals to proteins, e.g. metallo-thionein that binds mercury. As naturally thriving mercury-tolerant bacteria are rare and cannot be grown easily in culture, researchers at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, inserted the metallo-thionein gene into Escherichia coli. A sufficiently large number of genetically engineered bacteria could thus treat mercury-polluted water inside a bioreactor. The efficiency of the procedure was high, as mercury was removed from polluted water down to a few nanograms per litre. Once the bacteria died, they were incinerated to recuperate the accumulated pure mercury (European Commission, 2002).
While phycoremediation is bioremediation based on the use of micro- and macro-algae, phytoremediation, relies on higher plants to clean water and soils from heavy metals and other pollutants, or to recolonize former mining areas (e.g. in South Africa, Australia, USA, Canada, France, etc.). For instance, heavy metals in industrial effluents can be concentrated in aquatic plants (e.g. the Azolla fern and water lentils - Lemna spp.) and thereafter recovered.
They are often small plants, such as Alyssum murale, which grows on metamorphic rocks, Brassica juncea, the Indian mustard, which extracts lead, or Thlaspi, which accumulates zinc and nickel. About 400 species have been identified, including 300 that accumulate only nickel. An endemic tree in New Caledonia, Sebertia acuminata, contains up to 20 per cent of nickel in its sap and is coloured in green (nickel is generally toxic to plants at a concentration of 0.005 per cent). For some metals like silver, mercury and arsenium, there are yet no plants known to accumulate them. However, a fern, Pteris vittata, which tolerates and accumulates arsenium, while conserving a very rapid growth and a high biomass.

Bioplastics

In 1989, researchers of the French Development Research Institute (IRD) discovered in palm wine the bacterium Bacillus thermoamylovorans, which is able to produce lactic acid from sugar-rich wastes. In cooperation with a subsidiary of France's third-biggest sugar producer (Erstein), Epicure, the first production trials were carried out in April 2000 on three kinds of juices which demonstrated the efficiency of the process and led to high yields of lactic acid (100g/litre). The bacterium grows at a temperature between 47°C and 58°C - which avoids the contamination by other micro-organisms. The Research Centre for Artificial Biopolymers (CRBA), in Montpellier, south-east of France, has also been developing a polymerization process of lactic acid, in order to produce bioplastics on a commercial scale.
All companies working in this field are trying to bring down costs. Metabolix, for instance, hopes to switch from producing plastics from bacteria (which need to be fed) to manufacturing them in plants (through photosynthesis). The process is being scaled up from successful laboratory trials. It is also foreseen to produce plastics in transgenic plant species.
A promising biotech idea is to use the whole plant as a chemical feedstock. Glucose syrup is a refined product, made out of maize starch, i.e. maize grains. The latter costs about $80 a ton; that is cheaper than oil, weight for weight, but this could be improved if the plant waste is also used, as it fetches only about $30 a ton for silage. But it consists mainly of cellulose, also a polymer of glucose, but more difficult to break down; therefore, the search began for efficient cellulases. Verdia, Maxygen's plant-biotechnology subsidiary, is trying to develop a cellulase that the plant would make in its own cell walls, while preventing the enzyme to digest the living plant. If research and development were successful, limitless supply of glucose from the degradation of cellulose would follow, as well as all kinds of bioplastics.

Ethanol Production

The OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) and a handful of big corporations already acknowledge that the fossil-fuel era will come to an end and that industry has to prepare for it. Governments are helping drive the shift to alternatives through subsidies and regulations. The USA, for instance, published draft rules to encourage federal purchasing of bio-based industrial products in 11 categories, from lubricants to fibres, plastics and paints. It also subsidizes making ethanol from maize kernels. The EU targets under the Kyoto Protocol, have their eye on some 9.3 million tons of ethanol that should be produced annually in Europe by 2010. The biofuels target for 2005 is 2 per cent of vehicle fuel, rising to 5.75 per cent by 2010
Biofuel production is part of 'white' biotechnology. Ethanol, a biofuel, is produced from the fermentation of cane sugar. In Brazil, they have mastered the technology as well as that of building motor engines that use this rather corrosive fuel. The decision was made to decrease the amount of the oil bill and to seek energy independence. Ethanol served to power the first car of Henry Ford, while nowadays in Brazil an important proportion of the car fleet uses a mixture of gasoline and 20 per cent ethanol. Even in the USA, nearly a tenth of all motor fuel sold is a blend of 90 per cent petrol and 10 % ethanol.

Biofuel production in the European Union

In the European Union, in 2003, two directives have set the following targets for biofuel content in the currently used fuels: 2 per cent in 2005 and 5.75 per cent in 2010. The biofuels produced in the European Union's member countries, particularly in France are the following:

Biofuels could help car manufacturers meet their commitment on reducing CO2 emissions. It was estimated that the European directive on the use of biofuels would reduce CO2 emissions by 3.5 per cent; this reduction, although modest, was significant when the decrease in the consumption of motor-cars had reached incompressible limits, and when new devices such as hydrogen-powered cars were not expected before 2024 (Lauer, 2004).

The Paper Industry

The paper industry's basic raw materials are trees. Separating cellulose from lignin in wood is costly and uses non-environment-friendly chemical processes. Researchers at the State University of North Carolina have bred aspens with only half the lignin of ordinary ones and, it turned out, they had the additional advantage of growing faster. However, the commercial use of transgenic trees is at least ten years off but is on its way.
But potatoes need not be the only source of genetically engineered starch. The world was producing 190 million tons a year (2003) of cassava, nearly all for food or animal feed. But its starch too can be used for making paper, and in Thailand a little is already used for that purpose. But that could soon become a lot: Thailand is growing enough cassava to be the only significant exporter, and recently decided to allow commercial cultivation of transgenic crops

The future of industrial biotechnology

In the USA in 2001, the Biomass R&D Board had surveyed 134 industrial sites that were manufacturing bioproducts and found 440 of which produced bioenergy. According to a report published in 2001 by McKinsey & Company, this consultancy reckoned that about 5 per cent of global chemical sales were derived in part form industrial biotechnology. That figure could reach 20 per cent by 2010, if chemical firms, whose polymer innovation had stalled in recent decades, became convinced by the economics of bio-based products. It means that industrial biotechnology will be competing in a market worth $280 billion, of which McKinsey assumed that it might capture about $160 billion. The report by McKinsey & Company showed that the greatest impact would be on the fine chemicals segment, where up to 60 per cent of products could be derived from biotechnological processes by 2010. Enzymes and fermentations were already used in the production of flavours and fragrances, while other markets would still be dominated by conventional chemistry through 2010 and beyond. The first applications in the largest volume segments - polymers and bulk chemicals - have already been commercialized. However, in these largely cost-driven segments, a number of technological advances and policy measures would determine the ultimate uptake of industrial biotechnology. McKinsey's estimates showed that the chemical industry alone could generate additional added value up of to €11 billion or €22 billion per annum by 2010, depending whether uptake was fast or slow. Two inputs would contribute to this. One was lower costs for raw materials and processing, combined with smaller scale investments in the fermentation plants. The other was the additional revenues from innovative or performance-enhanced products.

Environmental factors influencing molinate biodegradation by a two-member mixed culture in rice paddy field floodwater

Bioaugmentation is reported as a feasible approach for the treatment of pesticide contaminated environments. Aiming the development and future implementation of a bioremediation process to treat natural waters polluted with molinate, a molinate-mineralizing culture, composed of Pseudomonas chlororaphis ON1 and Gulosibacter molinativorax ON4T (designated DC1), was assayed in paddy field floodwater microcosms. The influence of abiotic (temperature, presence of other herbicides) and biotic (floodwater autochthonous microbiota) factors on molinate mineralization by culture DC1 was assessed. In parallel, the proportion of the introduced strains in filter-sterilized floodwaters was monitored by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH).
Molinate mineralization and growth of culture DC1 were observed under all tested conditions, although the kinetic parameters (maximum specific growth and degradation rates) were significantly affected by the environmental conditions and culture media used. Additionally, these two factors were observed to have a statistically significant interaction. The lowest values of both kinetic parameters were observed at 15 °C. The presence of the herbicides propanil, bentazone and MCPA, frequently applied in rice culture protection, did not affect the degrading capacity of culture DC1. Furthermore, it was possible to infer that the autochthonous microbiota does not retard or limit molinate biodegradation, given the growth and degradation rates by culture DC1 were higher in non-sterile microcosm assays. Although G. molinativorax ON4T is known to promote the initial breakdown of molinate, P. chlororaphis ON1 appeared to be responsible to pull up the process, since higher proportions of this organism were found at the exponential growth and molinate degradation phase.

Luisa Barreiros, Joana Peres, Nuno F. Azevedo, Célia M. Manaia, Olga C. Nunes. Environmental factors influencing molinate biodegradation by a two-member mixed culture in rice paddy field floodwater. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, Volume 72, August 2012, Pages 52-58

Soils and waste water purification from oil products using combined methods under the North conditions.

Oil and gas production and transportation in Russia is increasingly moving to the north regions. Such regions are characterized by relatively low self-purification capacity of the natural environments from the contaminants due to slow character of the energy exchange and mass transfer processes. Off-shore field development in the Barents Sea and oil product transportation can result in contamination, as confirmed by the national and international practice of the developed oil and gas regions. The research aims at development of the soil bioremediation methods and industrial waste water purification contaminated by oil products in the north-western region of Russia. The dynamics of oil products carry-over have been investigated under the field model experiments in podzolic soils: gas condensate, diesel fuel and mazut from oil and the plants were selected for phyto-remediation of contaminated soils under high north latitudes. It is shown that soil purification from light hydrocarbons takes place during one vegetation period. In three months of the vegetation period the gas condensate was completely removed from the soil, diesel fuel - almost completely (more than 90%). Residual amounts of heavy hydrocarbons were traced, even 1.5 later. The following plants that were highly resistant to the oil product contamination were recommended for bioremediation: Phalaroides arundinacea, Festuca pratensis, Phleum pratense, Leymus arenarius. There has been developed and patented the combined method of treatment of waste water contaminated with hydrocarbons based on inorganic coagulants and local oil-oxidizing bacteria.
J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng. 2012;47(12):1733-8. Evdokimova GA, Gershenkop ASh, Mozgova NP, Myazin VA, Fokina NV.

Cyanobacteria cultivation in industrial wastewaters and biodiesel production from their biomass

As an alternative fuel biodiesel has become increasingly important due to diminishing petroleum reserves and adverse environmental consequences of exhaust gases from petroleum-fueled engines. Recently, research interest has focused on the production of biofuel from microalgae. Cyanobacteria appeared to be suitable candidates for cultivation in wastes and wastewaters because they produce biomass in satisfactory quantity and can be harvested relatively easily due to their size and structure. In addition, their biomass composition can be manipulated by several environmental and operational factors to produce biomass with concrete characteristics. Herein, we review the culture of cyanobacteria in wastewaters and also the potential resources that can be transformed into biodiesel successfully for meeting the ever-increasing demand for biodiesel production
Biotechnol Appl Biochem. 2011 Jul-Aug;58(4):220-5. doi: 10.1002/bab.31. Epub 2011 Aug 9. Balasubramanian L, Subramanian G, Nazeer TT, Simpson HS, Rahuman ST, Raju P.