The marine sponge Chondrilla nucula Schmidt, 1862 as an elective candidate for bioremediation in integrated aquaculture.
The use of sponges for marine bioremediation in a farming scenario has been investigated focusing on Chondrilla nucula. We report experiments examining clearance and retention rates of the bacterium Escherichia coli. Despite low values expressed for clearance tests, C. nucula exhibited a marked ability to retain high quantities of bacteria. One square meter patch of this sponge can filter up to 14 l/h of sea water retaining up to 7 x 10(10) bacterial cells/h. This suggests that C. nucula is a suitable species for marine environmental bioremediation.
Milanese
Martina
M
Dip.Te.Ris., Università di Genova, C.so Europa 26, 16132 Genoa, Italy. m.milanese@dipteris.unige.it
Chelossi
Elisabetta
E
Manconi
Renata
R
Sarà
Antonio
A
Sidri
Marzia
M
Pronzato
Roberto
R
D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture / Q000379:methods*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D008386:Marine Biology / Q000379:methods; D011161:Porifera / Q000382:microbiology*; D018511:Systems Integration