IMMOBILISATION OF ACINETOBACTER, ISOLATED FROM CONTAMINATED SOIL, ONTO CROSSLINKED RESIN

Yashmika Jeon, Ajay Bissessur, Parvesh Singh, J. Lin and V. Sharma

Department of Chemistry and Physics, University of Kwa Zulu Natal, Durban, South Africa

Abstract

The usage of immobilized bacteria has gained a lot of interest in the industrial sector due to it numerous financial and convenient benefits. Acinetobacter shows uses in the bio-remediation sector as well as the rejuvenation of cellulose based materials. Amberlite resin and activated amberlite resin was used in this study as a support for the immobilization of strain V2 by physical adsorption technique. The resin was conditioned by firstly being washed with 5% (v/v) HCl and then 5% (v/v) NaOH, after which it was rinsed with deionized water. Amberlite resin was cross-linked with glutaraldehyde (1%, 4%, 10% v/v) for 4 hours and rinsed thoroughly with deionized water until a pH 7 was obtained for the washings. Scanning Electron Microscope imaging showed a difference in the morphology of the activated amberlite resin as compared to the unmodified amberlite resin. This indicated more activated sites. Each of the resins was incubated for 24 hours in 1.0 OD of Acinetobacter strain V2 in nutrient broth. The resins where rinsed with saline thoroughly and then viewed under the light microscope. There were cells identified as to be immobilized onto unmodified resin, 1% (v/v) and 4% (v/v) glutaraldehyde activated resin however no cell growth was observed for 10 % glutaraldehyde activated resin. It was noticed that 4 % (v/v) had the most active bacteria adsorbed to the surface followed by 1% (v/v) and then unmodified amberlite resin.

Keywords: Acinetobacter, immobilization, amberlite, cross-linked resin, glutaraldehyde, scanning electron microscopy.