Biodegradation of animal fats and vegetable oils by Rhodococcus erythropolis PR4

Abstract

The alkane (pristane) degradation capacity o f Rhodococcus erythropolis PR4 (NBRC 100887), isolated from marine environment, was previously observed. In this study, the ability of this strain for biodegradation of various animal fats, such as pig lards and poultry fats as well as butter, margarine and sunflower cooking oil was studied. Bioconversion of fats and oil was determined as methyl-ester (FAME) derivatives by GC-MS. R. erythropolis PR4 strain could utilize all substrates tested but the bioconversion rate and efficacies varied. The optimum pH for decomposition of pig lard and poultry fat was 8.5, respectively. Addition of carbonate to the media dramatically improved the efficiency o f the process via stabilization of pH o f the fermentation. Biotransformation of poultry fat was complete in four days and around 80% conversion was reached in the case of pig lard in media containing carbonate. The extracellular lipase activity of the R. erythropolis PR4 strain was also demonstrated by various techniques. The results suggest the R. erythropolis PR4 strain studied is a promising candidate in bioremediation/bioconversion of fatcontaining wastes within a relatively short time.

Challenges of unculturable bacteria: environmental perspectives

“…To date, a great variety of physico-chemical treatments have been available for removing these contaminants from the environment (Scullion 2006), but biological approaches are still among the most promising methods. Bioremediation based on natural processes utilizes the metabolic pathways of microorganisms (Laczi et al 2015;Hegedüs et al 2017;Heged} us et al 2017) (or plants) to neutralize pollutants and, thus, can be performed either ex situ or in situ (Vidali 2001;Perei et al 2001;Kang 2014;Kis et al 2015Kis et al , 2017. A decrease in contamination can be achieved by stimulating the indigenous microflora of the polluted site with nutrient addition (i.e.…”

Photocatalytic membrane filtration and its advantages over conventional approaches in the treatment of oily wastewater: A review

“…Biological treatments use microbes such as genera Mycobacterium , Nocardia Corynebacterium , and Rhodococcus 59,60 to decompose hydrocarbons and colloidal organic pollutants with four crucial processes: hydrolysis, fermentation, acetogenesis, and methanogenesis in aerobic or anaerobic conditions. During these processes, the pollutants can be transformed partly into harmless and stable substances 5,58 .…”

Intensification of Ex Situ Bioremediation of Soils Polluted with Used Lubricant Oils: A Comparison of Biostimulation and Bioaugmentation with a Special Focus on the Type and Size of the Inoculum

“…Rhodococcus erythropolis PR4 (NBRC 100887) was obtained from National Institute of Technology and Evaluation, Biological Resource Center (NBRC, Kisarazu-shi, Chiba, Japan). R. erythropolis is a well-characterized marine bacterium able to degrade various hydrocarbons [52][53][54].…”

“…Starter cultures and inocula were prepared according to Laczi et al [54]. Cells were inoculated in 1% (v v −1 ) into 160 mL serum vials (Merck KGaA, Germany) containing fresh minimal medium [53] supplemented with 1% (m v −1 ) fresh MK8 lubricant oil at a final volume of 20 mL aqueous phase and a 140 mL headspace. Cell-free samples were used as controls.…”