Immobilization of Planococcus sp. S5 Strain on the Loofah Sponge and Its Application in Naproxen Removal

Abstract

Planococcus sp. S5, a Gram-positive bacterium isolated from the activated sludge is known to degrade naproxen in the presence of an additional carbon source. Due to the possible toxicity of naproxen and intermediates of its degradation, the whole cells of S5 strain were immobilized onto loofah sponge. The immobilized cells degraded 6, 9, 12 or 15 mg/L of naproxen faster than the free cells. Planococcus sp. cells immobilized onto the loofah sponge were able to degrade naproxen efficiently for 55 days without significant damage and disintegration of the carrier. Analysis of the activity of enzymes involved in naproxen degradation showed that stabilization of S5 cells in exopolysaccharide (EPS) resulted in a significant increase of their activity. Changes in the structure of biofilm formed on the loofah sponge cubes during degradation of naproxen were observed. Developed biocatalyst system showed high resistance to naproxen and its intermediates and degraded higher concentrations of the drug in comparison to the free cells.

Naproxen in the environment: its occurrence, toxicity to nontarget organisms and biodegradation

“…Naproxen, which is a bicyclic propionic acid derivative, is a widely known drug from the group of non-selective, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Dzionek et al 2018). Its mechanism of action is based on the inhibition of both cyclooxygenase isoforms that are involved in the synthesis of prostaglandins, prostacyclin and thromboxane from arachidonic acid (Angiolillo and Weisman 2017;Barcella et al 2019).…”

Immobilized Biocatalysts

“…With the aim of degrading the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug naproxen, Dzionek et al [8] immobilized the Gram-positive bacterium Planococcus sp. S5 onto a loofah sponge.…”

Fluorescein Diacetate Hydrolysis Using the Whole Biofilm as a Sensitive Tool to Evaluate the Physiological State of Immobilized Bacterial Cells

“…Mass transfer in the biofilm follows the principles of diffusion (in the biofilm matrix) and advection (in the water channels). Because mass transport in the biofilm is limited in its deeper layers, due to the slower diffusion through the matrix, a chemical gradient is created that affects the physiological state of cells at different heights of the biofilm [4,11,20,29]. For that reason, an examination of the physiological state of the biofilm should concern each of its layers.…”

“…In addition, immobilized biocatalysts bring certain advantages into bioremediation studies, such as reducing costs, ensuring a stable microenvironment for cells and their enzymes, and increasing the efficiency and resistance of biocatalysts to adverse environmental conditions and high pollutant concentration. Immobilized biocatalysts were extensively examined in the treatment of wastewaters contaminated with various pollutants, and their potential is promising [2,[4][5][6][7].…”

“…One of the most important advantages of this method, considering bioremediation systems, is also the spread of the introduced cells within the system, caused by the detachment of external parts of the biofilm in one of its growth phases. The necessary condition, in this technique, to receive a stable and efficient immobilized biocatalyst, is the development of a biofilm strongly attached to the surface of the carrier [4,[8][9][10]. To obtain this kind of biofilm, it is necessary to optimize conditions of the immobilization process for each strain and the carrier [4,11].…”