title: Isolation of high-salinity-tolerant bacterial strains, Enterobacter sp., Serratia sp., Yersinia sp., for nitrification and aerobic denitrification under cyanogenic conditions.
abstract: Cyanides (CN(-)) and soluble salts could potentially inhibit biological processes in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), such as nitrification and denitrification. Cyanide in wastewater can alter metabolic functions of microbial populations in WWTPs, thus significantly inhibiting nitrifier and denitrifier metabolic processes, rendering the water treatment processes ineffective. In this study, bacterial isolates that are tolerant to high salinity conditions, which are capable of nitrification and aerobic denitrification under cyanogenic conditions, were isolated from a poultry slaughterhouse effluent. Three of the bacterial isolates were found to be able to oxidise NH(4)-N in the presence of 65.91 mg/L of free cyanide (CN(-)) under saline conditions, i.e. 4.5% (w/v) NaCl. The isolates I, H and G, were identified as Enterobacter sp., Yersinia sp. and Serratia sp., respectively. Results showed that 81% (I), 71% (G) and 75% (H) of 400 mg/L NH(4)-N was biodegraded (nitrification) within 72 h, with the rates of biodegradation being suitably described by first order reactions, with rate constants being: 4.19 h(-1) (I), 4.21 h(-1) (H) and 3.79 h(-1) (G), respectively, with correlation coefficients ranging between 0.82 and 0.89. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rates were 38% (I), 42% (H) and 48% (G), over a period of 168 h with COD reduction being highest at near neutral pH.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Applied Sciences, Bioresource Engineering Research Group (BioERG), Department of Biotechnology, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, PO Box 652, Cape Town 8000, South Africa E-mail: NtwampeS@cput.ac.za.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mpongwana
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Applied Sciences, Bioresource Engineering Research Group (BioERG), Department of Biotechnology, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, PO Box 652, Cape Town 8000, South Africa E-mail: NtwampeS@cput.ac.za.
authors.forename: S K O
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Ntwampe
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Applied Sciences, Bioresource Engineering Research Group (BioERG), Department of Biotechnology, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, PO Box 652, Cape Town 8000, South Africa E-mail: NtwampeS@cput.ac.za.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mekuto
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Applied Sciences, Bioresource Engineering Research Group (BioERG), Department of Biotechnology, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, PO Box 652, Cape Town 8000, South Africa E-mail: NtwampeS@cput.ac.za.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Akinpelu
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Applied Sciences, Bioresource Engineering Research Group (BioERG), Department of Biotechnology, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, PO Box 652, Cape Town 8000, South Africa E-mail: NtwampeS@cput.ac.za.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dyantyi
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Applied Sciences, Bioresource Engineering Research Group (BioERG), Department of Biotechnology, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, PO Box 652, Cape Town 8000, South Africa E-mail: NtwampeS@cput.ac.za.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mpentshu
mesh_terms: D000332:Aerobiosis; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D057919:Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; D003486:Cyanides / Q000378:metabolism; D058440:Denitrification / Q000187:drug effects; D004754:Enterobacter / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D058465:Nitrification; D054712:Salinity; D012705:Serratia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D018508:Water Purification; D015007:Yersinia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D003486:Cyanides; D062065:Wastewater