exploring the microbial diversity of South African Eastern Cape - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

AN ANTHO HONY Y I O I OKOH OH, PhD hD, FW FWIS ISA Unive versity rsity of

• f Fo

Fort Ha Hare, So South h Af Africa & DR AR ARINZE ZE S OK S OKOL OLI GenØk -Nor

• rwegi

egian an Centre tre fo for B Bios

• saf

afety, ty, Trom

• msø

sø, , Nor

• rway

ay

Development of efficient bioflocculants by exploring the microbial diversity of South African Eastern Cape Province for novel bioflocculants

(SANCOOP Application Number: ES516874)

First Black University in South Africa – 100 years Located in the Eastern Cape Province Highly politically conscious university – Nelson Mandela. Govan Mbeki. Robert Mugabe etc Campuses in Alice, East London and Bisho

Applied and Environmental Microbiology Research Group (AEMREG)

SAMRC Microbial Water Quality Monitoring Centre, University of Fort Hare, Alice, South Africa.

Ge GenØk nØk – Centre for Biosafety, Tromsø, Norway

Prof AI Okoh (PI) SOUTH AFRICA University of Fort Hare

PARTNERS

Dr AS Okoli (PI) NORWAY GenØk -Norwegian Centre for Biosafety, Tromsø

Other members of the team

• Prof UU Nwodo
• Prof LV Mabinya
• Dr K Okaiyeto
• Mr N Ntozonke
• Miss N Ntsangani
• Miss B Makapela
• Anne I Myhr
• Lise Nordgård

OUR PLANET

Water = 70%

2% Frozen 1% Freshwater

Inorganic flocculants e.g aluminum sulfate and polyaluminum chloride Synthetic organic flocculants e.g polyacrylamide derivatives and polyethylene amine Natural flocculants e.g Moringa oleifera, chitosan, sodium alginate, and microbial flocculants (Bioflocculant)

Cancer and neuro-toxicity

Recalcitrance

Senile dementia (Alzheimer disease)

Bioflocculants are environmentally safe, non-toxic and biodegradable

PROJECT AIM

To investigate the microbial biodiversity of South African (SA) Eastern Cape Province (ECP) for novel, environmentally safe, efficient and cost effective bioflocculants that can serve as alternatives to the hazardous inorganic and synthetic organic flocculants

PROJECT SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

 To isolate actinobacteria from water and sediments samples of some marine environments in the EC Province of SA  To screen and optimize efficient bioflocculant producers for maximal production of bioflocculants as axenic and consortia cultures  To characterize and evaluate the flocculation efficiencies of purified bioflocculants in comparison with commercially available flocculants;  To identify impacted proteins/genes and molecular pathways for bacteria bioflocculant production in comparison with selected genetically modified bioflocculant producers  To identify preliminary conditions for industrial scale production of the most efficient bioflocculant  Effects of glyphosate and AMPA (aminomethyl phosphonic acid) on the molecular pathways of bacteria bioflocculant production

WORK PACKAGES

Work Package 1: Isolation and screening of actinobacteria for bioflocculant production (Task Leader: Professor Okoh) Work Package 2: Purification and characterization of bioflocculants from the actinobacteria isolates (Task Leader: Professor Okoh) Work Package 3: Evaluation of the flocculation efficiencies of purified products in comparison with commercially available flocculants used in water/wastewater treatments (Task Leader: Professor Okoh) Work Package 4: Identification of proteins and molecular pathways of bioflocculant production, and in comparison with selected genetically modified bioflocculant producers. (Task Leader:

• Dr. Okoli)

Work Package 5: Validation of central component proteins of identified significant pathways and networks; systematic functional analysis of validated components; use knockout and revertant mutations for the identification of specific essential genes (Task Leader: Dr. Okoli)

RESEARCH OUTPUTS SUMMARY

Journal articles: 6 International Conference papers National Conference papers Graduation: 1 PhD and 3 MSc

MBF-W7 exhibited excellent flocculating activity for kaolin clay suspension at 0.2 mg/ml over a wide pH range of 3–11; with the maximal flocculation rate of 85.8% in the presence of Mn2+. It maintained and retained high flocculating activity of over 70% after heating at 100°C for 60

• min. MBF-W7 showed good turbidity removal

potential (86.9%) and chemical oxygen demand reduction efficiency (75.3%) in Tyhume River.

Flocculants Wastewater/ water Optimum dose (mg/ml) Turbidity removal (% ) COD reduction (%) Flocculation efficiency (%) Bioflocculant C1 Brewery 0.3 94.1±0.4a 99.7±0.1a 94.3±0.3a Dairy 87.5±1.5b 99.8±0.0a 78.4±5.0b River 98.9±0.1c 65.8±1.8b 96.5±2.1a Bioflocculant C2 Brewery 0.1 97.1±0.1a 99.9±0.0a 92.3±3.1a Dairy 85.7±0.4b 99.7±0.0a 82.8±1.9b River 98.7±0.6c 74.4±6.1b 98.2±1.4c Bioflocculant C3 Brewery 0.2 93.9±1.2a 99.7±0.0a 92.0±1.4a Dairy 88.3±1.8b 99.9±0.0a 91.0±1.8a River 98.6±2.3c 63.5±2.3b 96.0±2.6a Bioflocculant C4 Brewery 0.2 96.3±0.5a 99.7±0.1a 93.2±1.3a Dairy 84.2±3.6b 99.8±0.0a 85.0±2.2b River 99.1±0.2b 66.3±9.4b 98.9±0.9c Polyacrylamide Brewery 0.3 85.4±0.1a 99.6±0.0a 66.1±0.4a Dairy 72.5±1.6b 98.0±0.2a 67.3±1.1a River 48.8±7.2c 68.8±1.7b 70.8±0.6b AlCl3 Brewery 1 87.0±0.1a 98.0±0.0a 75.1±0.3a Dairy 71.4±0.5b 98.6±0.2a 67.0±0.1a River 35.1±9.9c 70.0±2.7b 57.4±0.1b

Comparison with conventional flocculants

Microbes are important sources of bioflocculants that could stand as alternatives to hazardous chemical flocculants. Bioflocculants vary in chemical compositions. Bioflocculants mostly produced during active growth.

Summary

Genes of different metabolic pathways of Bacillus spp bioflocculant production have been identified: validation studies are ongoing Perturbed bacterial pathways by glyphosate & aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) identified –how is bioflocculant production affected?: studies underway

Benefits of Collaboration

* Capacity building through research and education: a collaborative initiative between University of Fort Hare, Arctic University of Norway and GenØK Enabled submission of a joint proposal to the "UTFORSK - Application 2014" for "UTF-2014/10068 - C A doctoral student spent some time in Genok to develop new skills in proteomics Our Norwegian partner (Dr AS Okoli) also visited our lab for joint experimental works

Name Place visited Prof LV Mabinya Genok Biosafety Centre, Tromso Prof UU Nwodo Genok Biosafety Centre, Tromso Prof AI Okoh Genok Biosafety Centre, Tromso Mr N Ntozonke Genok Biosafety Centre, Tromso Prof AS Okoli University of Fort Hare

Staff and Student Exchange

Con Conta tact ct: Pr Prof

• f Ant

Antho hony ny I I Ok Okoh

• h

Email: Email: ao aokoh

• h@u

@ufh.ac.za; fh.ac.za; www www.ufh.ac.za/cen .ufh.ac.za/centr tres es/aemr /aemreg/ g/ www www.mr .mrc.ac c.ac.z .za/Micr a/Microb

• bial/Mi

ial/Micr crob

• bial.

ial.ht htm

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION