Alkaliphilic bacteria: applications in industrial biotechnology

Abstract

Alkaliphiles are interesting groups of extremophilic organisms that thrive at pH of 9.0 and above. Many of their products, in particular enzymes, have found widespread applications in industry, primarily in the detergent and laundry industries. While the enzymes have been a runaway success from the industrial point of view, many more products have been reported from alkaliphiles such as antibiotics and carotenoids. Less known are their potential for degradation of xenobiotics. They also play a key role in biogeocycling of important inorganic compounds. This review provides an insight into the huge diversity of alkaliphilic bacteria, the varied products obtained from them, and the need for further investigations on these interesting bacteria.

Nitrate reducing bacterial activity in concrete cells of nuclear waste disposal

“…The impact of this transition phase of oxidizing conditions depends mainly on the kinetics of the biotic reactions especially influenced by the extreme conditions imposed by the alkalinity of the concrete structure. Indeed, it is now perfectly supposed that microorganisms qualified as extremophiles due to their particular metabolisms are actually able to grow in the physico-chemical conditions specific to the storage of radioactive waste [14][15].…”

Characterization of Keratin Degrading Alkaliphiles

“…They also play an important role in bio-geocycling of important inorganic compounds (Sarethy et al, 2011). Additionally, many enzymes from these organisms are widely used in many industrial applications, such as protease used as a an effective component of detergents (Kumar & Takagi, 1999).…”

Enzymatic Decolorization of Malachite Green Dye by a Newly Isolated Bacillus Cereus Strain wwcp

“…Extremophile like alkaliphiles bacteria exhibit the ability to grow at the extremely harsh environmental conditions such as high pH and temperature, high levels of salinity or salt, and pressure which critically influence their growth. Products of industrial importance from alkaliphiles have been commercialized, the most successful of which have been in the detergent and food industries [10]. However, relatively few studies have been reported on the application of alkaline enzyme in decolorization of organic dyes.…”