title: Characterization of a bioflocculant from a newly isolated Vagococcus sp. W31.
abstract: Screening of microorganisms producing flocculating substances was carried out. A strain secreting a large amount of bioflocculant was isolated from wastewater samples collected from the Little Moon River in Beijing. Based on the morphological properties and 16S rDNA sequence analysis, the isolate (designated W31) was classified as Vagococcus sp. A bioflocculant (named MBFW31) produced by W31 was extracted from the culture broth by ethanol precipitation and purified by gel chromatography. MBFW31 was heat-stable and had strong flocculating activity in a wide range of pH with relatively low dosage requirement. MBFW31 was identified as a polysaccharide with molecular weight over 2 x 10(6). It contained neutral sugar and uronic acid as its major and minor components, respectively. Infrared spectra showed the presence of hydroxyl, carboxyl and methoxyl group in its molecules. The present results suggested that MBFW31 had potential application in wastewater treatment.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Hua-ying
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.forename: Ming-xiu
authors.initials: MX
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.forename: Yuan-xia
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yan-fen
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005427:Flocculation; D013045:Species Specificity; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D014873:Water Pollutants