CIBNOR, Yoav Bashan, Water bioremediation and advanced wastewater treatments

Dr. Yoav Bashan, Dr. Luz Gonzalez de Bashan
and M. Sc. Juan-Pablo Hernandez

Water bioremediation and advanced wastewater treatments (basic and applied studies)

Version January 2010

Goal: Develop concepts and technologies on how to recycle used water (wastewater) in arid lands with unique combinations of microalgae and microalgae growth-promoting bacteria.

For More PDF files of earlier papers go to: Environmental Microbiology Website.

For Spanish speakers (español)

For English speakers

External Collaborators

Dr. Drora Kaplan, Ben Gurion University, Israel

Dr. Zvi Hacohen, Ben Gurion University, Israel

Dr. Mike Cohen, Sonoma State University,California, USA

Dr. Naresh Singhal, University of Auckland, New Zealand

Ing. Abigail Solano, La Paz Wastewater Treatment Facility, La Paz, Mexico.

Transmission electron microscopy of the plant growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense (Az) sharing the same cavity (c) within alginate beads (Al) with the microalga Chlorella vulgaris (ch). This unique preparation is used for wastewater treatment.

Microalgae used in the nutrient removal from wastewaters.

Microalgae and the bacterium A. brasilense coimmobilized in alginate beads.

The microalgae and bacteria coimmobilized in alginate beads are cultivated in semicontinuos systems in a fermentor.

Growth under extreme conditions.
Growth of the wastewater treatment
microalgae (Chorella sorokiniana) in
high light intensity photoreactor.

Photosynthetic microalga (Chorella vulgaris) immobilized in
polymer beads growing under autotrophic (light) condition
in inverted bioreactors for wastewater treatment.

Image of Confocal Laser Microscopy of clusters of the
microalgae Chlorella vulgaris with the microalgae
growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense after
interaction and dissolving the alginates beads where
both were initially immobilized. Arrows marking red
spots indicating the bacteria. The microalgae (larger circles)
have different fluorescent colors.

Image of Confocal Laser Microscopy of clusters of the
microalgae Chlorella vulgaris with the microalgae
growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense after
interaction and dissolving the alginates beads where
both were initially immobilized. Arrows marking small yellow
spots indicating the bacteria. The microalgae (larger circles)
have different fluorescent colors.

Most relevant publications in recent years:

de-Bashan, L.E. and Bashan, Y. 2010 Immobilized microalgae for removing pollutants: Review of practical aspects. Bioresource Technology 101: 1611-1627

Hernandez, J.-P., de-Bashana,L.E., Rodriguez, D. J., Rodriguez, Y. and Bashan, Y. 2009 Growth promotion of the freshwater microalga Chlorella vulgaris by the nitrogen-fixing, plant growth-promoting bacterium Bacillus pumilus from arid zone soils. European Journal of Soil Biology 45: 88–93 Original version is available at: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/ejsobi

de-Bashan, L.E., and Bashan Y. 2008. Joint immobilization of plant growth-promoting bacteria and green microalgae in alginate beads as an experimental model for studying plant-bacterium interactions. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 74: 6797–6802.

de-Bashan, L.E., Antoun, H., and Bashan Y. 2008. Involvement of indole-3-acetic-acid produced by the growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum spp. in promoting growth of Chlorella vulgaris. Journal of Phycology 44: 938–947.

de-Bashan, L.E., Magallon, P., Antoun, H., and Bashan Y. 2008. Role of glutamate dehydrogenase and glutamine synthetase in Chlorella vulgaris during assimilation of ammonium when jointly immobilized with the microalgae-growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense. Journal of Phycology 44: 1188–1196.

de-Bashan, L.E., Trejo, A., Huss, V.A.R., Hernandez, J.-P. Bashan, Y. 2008. Chlorella sorokiniana UTEX 2805, a heat and intense, sunlight-tolerant microalga with potential for removing ammonium from wastewater. Bioresource Technology 99: 4980-4989

Yabur, R., Bashan Y., Hernández-Carmona G. 2007. Alginate from the macroalgae Sargassum sinicola as a novel source for microbial immobilization material in wastewater treatment and plant growth promotion. Journal of Applied Phycology 19: 43-53.

Hernandez, J-P., de-Bashan, L.E., and Bashan, Y. 2006. Starvation enhances phosphorus removal from wastewater by the microalgae Chlorella spp.co-immobilized with Azospirillum brasilense. Enzyme and Microbial Technology 38: 190-198

de-Bashan, L.E., Antoun H., and Bashan, Y. 2005. Cultivation factors and population size control uptake of nitrogen by the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris when interacting with the microalgae growth-promoting baterium Azospirillum brasilense. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 54: 197-203

de-Bashan L.E., Hernandez J.-P., Morey, T., and Bashan, Y. 2004. Microalgae growth-promoting bacteria as "helpers" for microalgae: a novel approach for removing ammonium and phosphorus for municipal wastewater. Water Research 38:466-474.

de-Bashan, L.E. and Bashan, Y. 2004. Recent advances in removing phosphorus from wastewater and its future use as fertilizer (1997-2003). Water Research 38: 4222-4246

de-Bashan, L. E. and Bashan, Y. 2003. Bacterias promotoras de crecimiento de microalgas: una nueva aproximación en el tratamiento de aguas residuales (Microalgae growth-proomoting bacteria: a novel approach in wastewater treatment). Revista Colombiana de Biotecnología 5: 85-90.

de-Bashan, L.E., Bashan, Y., Moreno, M., Lebsky, V.K., and Bustillos,J.J. 2002. Increased pigment and lipid content, lipid variety, and cell and population size of the microalgae Chlorella spp. when co-immobilized in alginate beads with the microalgae-growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense . Canadian Journal of Microbiology 48: 514-521.

Valderrama, L.T., Del Campo, C.M., Rodriguez, C.M., de-Bashan, L.E., and Bashan, Y. 2002. Treatment of recalcitrant wastewater from ethanol and citric acid production using the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and the macrophyte Lemna minuscule. Water Research 36: 4185-4192

de-Bashan, L.E., Moreno, M., Hernandez, J.P., and Bashan, Y. 2002. Removal of ammonium and phosphorus ions from syntetic waste water by the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris coimmobilized in alginate beads with the microalgae growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense . Water Research 36: 2941-2948.

Lebsky, V.K., Gonzalez-Bashan, L.E., and Bashan, Y. 2001. Ultrastructure of coimmobilization of the microalga Chlorella vulgaris with the plant growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum brasilense and with its natural associative bacterium Phyllobacterium myrsinacearum in alginate beads. Canadian Journal of Microbiology 47 : 1-8.

Device for producing large-sized polymer beads

A method for automated fast production of large-sized polymer beads (2–4 mm)