Influence of nonionic surfactant on the solubilization and biodegradation of phenanthrene

Phenanthrene was solubilized in two different nonionic surfactants, Tween80 and Triton X-100. The bioavailability of phenanthrene to the bacteria isolated from the petroleum contaminated soils was studied based on the rotary flasks experiments. The results showed that the concentration of nonionic surfactants above the critical micelle concentration(CMC) can increase the solubility of phenanthrene in water and were innoxious to the phenanthrene-degrading bacteria; phenanthrene solubilized in the micelles of Tween80 was bioavailable and biodegradable. The research demonstrated the potential of surfactant-enhanced bioremediation of soils contaminated by hydrophobic organic compounds(HOCs).

Effects of phosphate solubilization and phytohormone production of Trichoderma asperellum Q1 on promoting cucumber growth under salt stress

Salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses limiting crop growth and yield.This study investigated the underlying mechanisms of Trichoderma asperellum Q1 in promoting cucumber growth under salt stress, including the abilities of the strain to solubilize phosphate and to produce phytohormone.The results showed that T.asperellum Q1 could solubilize inorganic or organic phosphate and the activities of phosphatases and phytase could be detected in the culture supernatant.In hydroponic experiments, the growth of cucumber seedlings was increased in the hydroponic system treated by culture filtrate of strain Q1 with tricalcium phosphate or calcium phytate under salt stress.This strain also exhibited the ability to produce indole acetic acid（IAA）, gibberellic acid（GA） and abscisic acid（ABA） in liquid medium without any inducers.The levels of those three phytohormones in cucumber seedling leaves also increased after inoculated with this strain, along with increased root growth and root activities of the plant.These results demonstrated the mechanisms of T.asperellum Q1 in alleviating the suppression effect of salt stress involving the change of phytohormone levels in cucumber plant and its ability of phosphate solubilization.

New insights into the mechanism of surfactant enhanced oil recovery:Micellar solubilization and in-situ emulsification

Reducing the oil-water interfacial tension(IFT)to ultra-low is believed the primary mechanism for surfactant-based enhanced oil recovery(EOR)process.However,field trials have shown that low concentration surfactant flooding can also improve oil recovery without ultra-low IFT.To clarify the mechanism behind,the currently-used surfactant,naphthenic arylsulfonate(NAS),was used to unravel its function during surfactant flooding from the horizon of micron-and nano-scale.The solubilization capacity of NAS micelle to petroleum fractions was evaluated through light absorbance strategy,smallangle neutron scattering,dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy.It was found that micellar solubilization plays a significant role during the surfactant flooding.In-situ emulsification was visualized in microfluidics with three types of microchips,respectively.A series of displacement tests were carried out with NAS solution pumping into oil-saturated chip.The results show that in-situ emulsification improve oil recovery mainly through blocking and entrainment effects.Results from this work aid in understanding the interaction between surfactant solution and petroleum fractions at low surfactant concentration,which is helpful for design surfactant-based displacing system for EOR process.

Mineral phosphate solubilization activity of gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus under P-limitation and plant root environment

The ability to solubilize insoluble inorganic pho- sphate compounds by Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus was studied using different cul-ture approaches. Qualitative plate assays using tricalcium phosphate as the sole P-source showed that G. diazotrophicus produced solu-bilization only when aldoses were used as the C-source. Extracellular aldose oxidation via a pyrroloquinoline quinone-linked glucose dehy-drogenase (PQQ-GDH) is the main pathway for glucose metabolism in G. diazotrophicus. In batch cultures with 5 g l-1 of hydroxyapatite as the P-source and glucose as the C-source, more than 98% of insoluble P was solubilized. No solubilization was observed neither using glyc-erol nor culturing a PQQ-GDH mutant of G. di-azotrophicus. Solubilizaton was not affected by adding 100 mmol l-1 of MES buffer. Continuous cultures of G. diazotrophicus showed significant activities of PQQ-GDH either under C or P limi-tation. An intense acidification in the root envi-ronment of tomato and wheat seedlings inocu-lated with a G. diazotrophicus PAL5 was ob-served. Seedlings inoculated with a PQQ-GDH mutant strain of G. diazotrophicus showed no acidification. Our results suggest that G. di-azotrophicus is an excellent candidate to be used as biofertilizer because in addition to the already described plant growth-promoting abili-ties of this organism, it shows a significant mineral phosphate solubilization capacity.

Phosphate Solubilization by <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>and <i>Serratia marcescens</i>Isolated from Tomato Plant Rhizosphere

Plants need phosphorus for many physiological activities in a form of phosphate anions. Three different bacterial strains (Bacillus subtilis PH, Serratia marcescens PH1, and Serratia marcescens PH2), recently isolated from tomato plant rhizosphere, have high phosphate solubilization index (SI from 2.8 to 3.2) on Pikovskaya agar medium (which contains calcium phosphate). Moreover, phosphate release from calcium in Pikovskaya broth over 5 days is increasing with cell growth for the different isolates. The most efficient phosphate solubilization case is the mixed culture of the 3 strains (OD475 is almost 1). On the other hand, pH values decreased dramatically with time due to organic acids secretion and the maximum acidification level is recoded for Serratia marcescens PH2 (pH = 1.94). Interestingly, the isolates are resistance to important pesticides (oxamyl, thiophanate methyl, and captan) that are commonly used in the sampling area. This resistance is very favorable and increases the persistence of the phosphate solubilizing bacteria in contaminated soils. The isolates are therefore plant symbionts and growth promoting agents.

2-Hydroxy-1,4-napthoquinone solubilization,thermodynamics and adsorption kinetics with surfactant

2Hydroxy1,4napthoquinone(lawsone)natural redorange dye was extracted from fresh henna(Lawsonia inermis)leaves in an alkaline media.The lawsonesurfactant solubilization constants(KLS)were calculated for the first time by using cationic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide(CTAB)and anionic sodium dodecyl sulphate(SDS).The standard free energy,concentration of solubilized lawsone and number of lawsone molecules solubilized into micelles were calculated and discussed.Surface excess,minimum surface area per molecule,surface pressure,free energy(adsorption and aggregation)and equilibrium constants of different states were determined from tensiometry.Different metal ions(Ag^(+),Co^(2+),Cu^(2+),Ni^(2+),Fe^(3+),Zn^(2+)and Al^(3+)were used to determine the complex forming ability with lawsone.Out of these,Ag+ions have strong binding capacity with lawsone.The adsorption of lawsone on the surface of glass with silver ions in presence of CTAB was also observed at pH>9.0.The pseudofirst,secondorder kinetic equation,intraparticles diffusion and Elovich models were used to determine the kinetics of lawsone adsorption onto the surface of glass and a probable mechanism has been discussed.Lawsone adsorption followed secondorder kinetic equation(k_(2)=0.019 g·mg^(1)·min^(1)).

Effect of Lanthanum on Solubilization of Rock Phosphate in Liquid Culture by Aspergillus Niger and Penicillium Oxalicum

Rock phosphate (RP) is a low efficient P fertilizer when directly used in the soil. Phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms (PSMs) can solubilize RP in fermentation or soil condition. The effect of different concentration of lanthanum (La) on the solubilization of RP was investigated by two isolates of phosphate-solubilizing fungi (PSF) Aspergillus niger P39 and Penicillium oxalicum P66 in liquid culture. Experimental results show that relatively higher concentration of La in the culture solution inhibites fungal growth and delays RP solubilizing activity of two isolates. This inhibitory effect of La on RP solubilization varies with PSF (isolate P66 is more sensitive to La than P39 in this experiment). Comparing the pH value of culture media with soluble P content as affected by La application, only within individual isolate not different isolates the negatively significant relationship was observed.

A New Protocol for Solubilization, Refolding and Purification of Recombinant Human Granulocyte Colony-stimulating Factor in Inclusion Bodies

Recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor （rhG-CSF） in inclusion bodies was solubilized by 8 mol/L urea solution and subsequently precipitated by acetone to improve its purity. After that, the precipitates were solubilized by sodium hydroxide solution containing 2 mol/L urea. Then the solubilized rhG-CSF was passed through a size exclusion chromatography for refolding and extensive purification, and further purified by a weak anion exchange chromatography. The purity and mass recovery of refolded rhG-CSF were 96.5% and 75.6%, respectively. The bioactivity was 8.4x10^7 IU/mg.

Experimental Study of Surface and Solution Properties of Gemini -conventional Surfactant Mixtures on Solubilization of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon

Experimental data are presented on the enhanced solubilities of fluorene (FLR) resulting from solubilization in aqueous solutions of two conventional surfactants: cationic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) , anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), nonioinic polyethylene glycol dodecyl ether (Brij35) and a cationic gemini bis (hexadecyldimethylammonium) pentane dibromide (G5). The critical micellar concentration of surfactants was determined by surface tension measurements and aqueous solubilities of fluorene compound in surfactant solutions were measured spectrophotometrically. Solubilization of PAH compound commenced at the surfactant critical micelle concentration and was proportional to the concentration of surfactant in micelle. The results of the mixed systems were analyzed with the help of regular solution theory, in which the deviation of CMCexp values for mixed surfactant systems from CMCideal was measured by evaluating the interaction parameter, βm. Negative values of βm were observed in all equimolar binary systems which show synergism in the mixed micelle. Attraction force between two oppositely charged head groups lead the strongest synergism effect between cationic gemini and anionic conventional surfactant. In addition to molar solubilization ratio (MSR) solubilization efficiency is also quantified in terms of micelle-water partition coefficient (Km).

Formation and Solubilization Property of Water-in-Oil Microemulsions of Alkyl Glucosides

The dependence of solubilization properties on the alkyl chain length of alkyl glucosides (AG) in AG/isooctane/ n-butanol/water system was investigated. The stable Winsor II system consisting of a water-in-oil (w/o) microemulsion phase and an aqueous phase was formed in AG/isooctane/n-butanol/water system. The apparent critical micelle concentration of AG reverse micelles in organic phases was markedly dependent upon the alkyl chain length of AG. The limiting amount of solubilized water increased with an increase in the alkyl chain length of AG. The solubilization capacity of methyl orange (MO) was superior to that of methylene blue (MB), and the solubilization capacities of MO and MB tended to increase with increasing the alkyl chain length of AG. Reverse micelles of dodecyl glucoside (AG12) exhibited the significant solubilization capacities of cytochrome c and lysozyme, while ribonuclease A was not solubilized by AG12 reverse micelles.

The Extent of Solubilization of Flurbiprofen and Ketoprofen by Cetyltrimethylammonium Micelles Using Semi-Equilibrium Dialysis

The partitioning of two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), flurbiprofen and ketoprofen, into cationic cetyltrimethylammonium micelles was investigated using semi-equilibrium dialysis at 37℃ in phosphate buffered saline. The micellar-water solubilization equilibrium constants for both NSAIDs, in their deprotonated forms, were observed to decrease linearly with increasing mole fraction of drug in micelles. For flurbiprofen, the solubilization constant in the limit as mole fraction of drug in micelles approaches zero was found to be 11,200 (co = 1 M), while for ketoprofen the value was 1950 (co = 1 M). Using 1H-NMR and UV spectroscopic techniques, the locus of solubilization for ketoprofen was found to be towards the charged exterior of the micelles, in the Stern layer, whereas flurbiprofen was found to solubilize more in the micellar interior.

Phosphate solubilization potential of native rhizospheric microflora and their impact on growth of Madhuca latifolia(Mahua):An oil yielding medicinal plant of India

Madhuca latifolia is an economically important medicinal and oil yielding plant of India having slow growth rate.As microbial application to the rhizosphere of host plant are beneficial for growth and development of plants,a comprehensive experimental study by using native microflora of Madhuca latifolia had been carried out in the nursery conditions.Isolation and identification of native rhizospheric soil revealed the occurrence of 17 different types of bacteria(gram negative and positive)and 30 numbers of fungi belonging to myceloid type,Aspergillus,Alternaria,Colletotrichum,Fusarium and Penicillium.Present study was confined to phosphate solubilizing microbes for which solubilization potential(solubilization index and solubilization efficiency)was evaluated.Inoculation experiments in pot culture with red laterite soil were set in two experimental categories(1)non-transplanted and(2)transplanted.Plants grown under both the conditions with and without microbial application were maintained up to 120 days and final data recorded for morphological,physiological growth and as soil parameters.The mineral solubilizing potential of native microbial strains has been expressed.Fungal inoculants were more effective than the bacterial inoculants as far as the growth and development of plants concerned.Among all,bacteria MLB-1,MLB-6,Aspergillus terreus and non-sporulating dematiaceous form of fungi were prominent in improving plant growth.This has also been confirmed the useful and beneficial impact of indigenous organism.The records made during the study is useful for development of bioinoculants for forest trees,nursery of quality planting material which will also helps in establishment at plantation site.

Abiotic and biotic drivers of struvite solubilization in contrasting soils

Phosphorus(P) limitation in the coming decades calls for the utilization of alternative fertilizers in agriculture. Struvite is a promising P source, but its potential role as a fertilizer is dependent on different physical, chemical, and biological properties, which are very heterogeneous in soil, complicating the prediction of the best soil conditions for its application. Here, we evaluated the solubility of struvite in soil, its redistribution into P fractions, and its potential abiotic and biotic drivers in 62 globally distributed soils with contrasting properties through an incubation assay. We found that after 40 d, about 35% of struvite P was redistributed into soil fractions more accessible to plants and microbes. Phosphorus redistribution from struvite was driven by a complex suite of soil physical, chemical, and microbial properties as well as environmental factors that varied across soils. Soil texture played a critical role in determining the redistribution of P in struvite-amended soils in soluble(H2O extraction), labile(NaHCO3 extraction), and moderately labile(NaOH extraction) fractions.In addition, the soil solution cation concentration was one of the most important drivers of available struvite-derived P fractions. The great importance of texture and cations in determining struvite-derived P fractions in soil was contrasted with the relatively minor role of pH. At the microbial level, the number of bacterial operational taxonomic units(OTUs) from the unfertilized soils that correlated with struvite-derived P fractions was higher than that of fungi. The number of OTUs that correlated with the struvite-derived soluble P fraction was dominated by fungi, whereas the number of OTUs that correlated with the struvite-derived labile P fraction was dominated by bacteria. Overall, this study provided a predictive framework for the potential use of struvite as a P fertilizer in contrasting soils.

Investigating oil solubilization into nonionic micelles by Raman multivariate curve resolution

Hydrophobic hydration,whereby water spontaneously structures around hydrophobic and amphiphilic molecules,plays a key role in the process of surfactant micelle formation and micellar oil solubilization.Using vibrational Raman multivariate curve resolution spectroscopy,we characterized changes in the hydrophobic hydration occurring within nonionic alkylphenol ethoxylate surfactant Tergitol NP-12 micelles as a function of oil solubilization.We report trends in the changes of hydrophobic hydration depending on the chain length of the oil as well as the presence of a halogen atom in the oil chemical structure.Changes in hydrophobic hydration directly correlate to changes in the physical properties of the micellar solution,including cloud point and micelle hydrodynamic diameter.We compare hydrophobic hydration of Tergitol NP-12 to nonionic linear alkyl ethoxylate surfactant Makon TD-12 and ionic sodium dodecyl sulfate and observe similar trends;the molecular structure of the oil has the largest impact on the hydrophobic hydration.We believe these studies contribute to a fundamental understanding of the importance of hydrophobic hydration in surfactant and oil aggregates,especially as it relates to micellar oil solubilization,and provide insight into how the molecular solubilizate can impact micellar structure,size,and stability.

Characterization of changes in extracellular polymeric substances and heavy metal speciation of waste activated sludge during typical oxidation solubilization processes

Biopolymer solubilization is considered to be the rate-limiting stage of anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge(WAS). Oxidation processes have been proven to be effective in disrupting sludge flocs and causing solubilization of the solid biopolymers. In this study,WAS was treated by NaNO2 or H2 O2 oxidation at p H of 2. The changes in extracellular polymeric substances properties and the speciation of heavy metals were investigated. The results revealed that both NaNO2 and H2 O2 treatments were effective in solubilizing organics in WAS, while the conversion of biopolymers in the two treatment processes was different. Free nitrous acid destroyed the gel network structure of EPS, and organic materials were released from the solid phase to the supernatant. Indigenous peroxidase catalyzed H2 O2 to produce hydroxyl radicals which caused significant solubilization of biopolymers, and the protein-like substances were further degraded into micro-molecule polypeptides or amino acids at high dosages of H2 O2. During the oxidation processes, Zn, Cd and Cu, with excellent mobility, tended to migrate to the supernatant, and thus were easy to remove through the liquid–solid separation process. Ni and As showed moderate migration ability, of which the residual fraction tended to transform into reducible and soluble fractions. With poor mobility, Cr and Pb mainly existed in the forms of residual and oxidizable fractions, which were difficult to dissolve and remove from WAS. Both NaNO2 and H2 O2 treatment resulted in the enhancement of sludge solubilization efficiency and heavy metal mobility in WAS, but different heavy metals showed distinct migration and transformation behaviors.

Solubilization and degradation of perchloroethylene (PCE) in cationic and nonionic surfactant solutions

Solubilization of perchloroethylene （PCE） in a nonionic （Triton X-100） and a cationic （cetyltrimethylammonium bromide （CTAB）） surfactant solutions and the degradation of surfactant solubilized PCE using fine to nanosize Fe and bi-metallic Fe-Ni particles were investigated. Micelle partition coefficients （Kin） and molar solubility ratio （MSR） for PCE in 10 g/L of surfactant solutions have been quantified and the solubility of PCE （100 mg/L in water） in the surfactant solutions increased by about ten fold, Of the two suffactants studied, Triton X-100 solubilized the higher amount of PCE per gram of suffactant. To degrade solubilized PCE, both iron and bimetallic Fe-Ni particles were used in continuously stirred batch reactors. The iron and hi-metallic particles were synthesized using the solution method and the particles were characterized using the SEM, EDS, TEM and XRD. The PCE solubilized up to 500 mg/L in both surfactant solutions were totally degraded at various rates by 200 g/L of hi-metallic Fe-Ni particles in less than 20 hr, which is the highest concentration of PCE degraded in the shortest time compared to data in the literature. The degradations of PCE solubilized in surfactant solutions were represented by nonlinear kinetic relationships which depended on the type of surfactant used for solubilizing the PCE.

Solubilization behaviors of interfacial lutetium-extractant complex in a solvent extraction system

Knowledge of the solubilization behaviors of rare-earth-extractant complex is mandatory for full comprehension of interfacial phenomenon and intermediate state of rare earth（RE） ion transport from water to oil during solvent extraction. The lutetium with 2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester（P507） extraction system was explored as a case study for the solubilization behaviors in this paper. With a quantitative analysis of a white crud obtained in the practical process, the results demonstrate that the insoluble REL3（L = the anion of P507） complex enriches at the oil/water interface and forms the network polymers. Besides, with the increase of RE loading ratios in the oil phase, the interfacial tension increases while the free ligand in the bulk phase decreases, which results in the flocculation of REL3 complex and the formation of polymers at the interface. Furthermore,the properties of the oil phase and the interface reveal that the free ligand can solubilize the REL3 complex along with the transfer of water from microemulsion to aqueous phase. In addition, the change of aqueous acidity can regulate the solubilization behaviors of the interfacial complex to improve RE extraction efficiency. These fundamental studies will hopefully provide new insights into the solubilization of metal-extractant complex and a technical guidance to the transfer of RE from water to oil.

Solubilization of organic compounds by arginine-derived polymers

Poor aqueous solubility of drugs is one of the m ajor challenges in the pharmaceutical science. In this study, a guanidinium-containing polymer based on arginine was designed and synthesized, and was evaluated as a solubiliW enhancing additive for three model organic compounds （coumarin, pyrene and doxorubicin）. At a guanidinium group concentration of 100 mmol/L, the polymer could significantly increase the solubility of pyrene and doxorubicin by 6- and 11-fold respectively, much more effective than arginine （2- and 3-fold, respectively）. In contrast, its effect on the solubility of coumarin was less effective than arginine. The solubilizing effect may be explained by the enhanced interaction between the guanidinium group in the polymer and the aromatic compounds.

Bibliometric analysis of soil phosphate solubilizing microorganisms research using VOSviewer

Phosphorus-solubilizing microbes play key roles in improving phosphorus availability and in alleviating phosphorus nutrient limitation in soils. However, we did not have a comprehensive understanding of the overall research progress and development trend of phosphorus solubilizing microorganisms. In this study, we obtain documents from the Web of Science (WOS) core collection between 2002 and 2022, and a comprehensive review of the progress of global research on soil phosphate solubilizing microorganisms was conducted by using the VOSviewer bibliometric analysis tool. The results showed an increasing trend in the number of published articles from 2002 to 2022. India, accounting for 28% of the total number of published articles, became the most productive country. However, Canada was the country with the highest average citation frequency of articles. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) was the greatest contributor with the most publications. Among the published journals, Frontiers in Microbiology, Applied Soil Ecology and Plant and Soil were the top three core journals in this field. Based on the keyword analysis, the assessment of the mechanisms between phosphorus solubilizing microbes and the soil carbon cycles with the different management practices became the new research trend among the scientific communities. These findings would provide an important reference value for future in-depth research on soil phosphate solubilizing microorganisms.

Mechanism of enhancement of prochymosin renaturation by solubilization of inclusion bodies at alkaline pH

The renaturation efficiency of recombinant prochymosin depends on not only the renaturation condi-tions but also the solubilization (denaturation) conditions. Compared with pH 8, solubilization of prochymosin-contain-ing inclusion bodies at pH 11 (8 mol/L urea) results in onefold increase of renaturation efficiency ( ~ 40% vs. ~ 20 % ). Alkaline pH facilitates the solubilization of inclusion bodies via the breakage of intermolecular disulfide bonds. Moreover, alkaline pH renders prochymosin molecules to be in a more reduced and more unfolded state which undergoes refolding readily.