Ansari F., Aref A., Libor S., Horvath R., Ramsden J.J.
Cranfield University, UK
Keywords: adsorption, bacteria, kinetics, magnetic nanoparticles, monolayer, optical waveguide
A range of bacteria have been shown to be able to remove sulfur from organic compounds that commonly exist in petroleum. The most extensively investigated microorganisms belong to the genus Rhodococcus, which has shown reasonably high activity and stability for removing sulfur from organic compounds, but this activity is unlikely to be sufficient for commercial applications. We found previously [1] that bacteria decorated with Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles had a higher desulfurization activity compared to the non-decorated cells, encouraging further development of bacteria for sulfur removal and designing new biodesulfurization processes. In order to investigate the stickiness of magnetic nanoparticles to the surface of bacteria, a thin layer of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles was deposited onto a hydrophilic Si(Ti)O2 surface. The kinetics of adsorption of Rhodococcus erythropolis IGTS8 on the fabricated nanofilm was measured under controlled conditions using optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy (OWLS) [2], with which the number of deposited particles and bacteria [3] could be accurately calculated.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 2, Nanotechnology 2008: Life Sciences, Medicine & Bio Materials – Technical Proceedings of the 2008 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Trade Show, Volume 2
Published: June 1, 2008
Pages: 91 - 94
Industry sectors: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing | Personal & Home Care, Food & Agriculture
Topic: Environmental Health & Safety of Nanomaterials
ISBN: 978-1-4200-8504-4