Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Microbiology/Immunology/Virology
Session: 3
Room: Exhibit Hall
Juan Gadiel Rivera Rosado - Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico
Bioremediation is a technique that emanates from the efforts to solve the constant growing pollution, a product mainly of human activity, which is based on the remediation of polluting compounds that adversely affect our environment and health. Given the diversity of polluting compounds, it is worth highlighting those derived from petroleum, since these can be the cause of irreversible ecological damage due to some leak into the environment. An effective mechanism for degrading these petroleum derivatives, such as used diesel engine oil and gasoline, occurs due to the activity conducted by certain bacteria capable of substituting their primary carbon source for these hydrocarbon chains to conduct their metabolic activities and reach proliferation. Twenty strains isolated from the Guayanilla coast were studied using the sequential enrichment methodology to continue developing this capacity. This technique allowed us the proliferation of bacteria to then select and isolate potential degrading bacteria from used diesel engine oil or gasoline because the hydrocarbon was the only source of carbon and energy. Subsequently, genetic profiles were generated by Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA (RAPD), determining at least ten different profiles, where strains ADG2 with ADG3 and ASG1 with ASG3 correspond to the same organism since each pair exhibited the same genetic profile. Following that, the 16S rDNA gene was amplified for sequencing and thirteen bacteria were identified. In future work, we aim to complete the identification of the remaining seven bacterial strains and perform degradation tests to confirm the effectiveness and degradative capacity of these bacteria. According to the results of the degradation tests, we would be able to select exponential bacteria for the degradation of both hydrocarbons, achieving bioremediation and avoiding an irreversible ecological impact.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): This study is supported by a grant from the Puerto Rico Louis Stokes Alliance For Minority Participation (PR-LSAMP) funded by the NSF: PR-LSAMP: HRD-2008186.
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Xavier Cruz Gonzalez, xavier_cruz@pucpr.edu
Role: As a basis for the rationale of this research, the student Juan G Rivera Rosado, who transcribed, is the one who proposed and obtained a grant for the realization of this research, under the mentorship of Dr. Xavier Cruz. In summary, I am the one who produced the experimental design and who executed the experiments to be performed, as well as the collection and analysis of the data obtained. It is worth mentioning the work of my mentor, as a fundamental entity for the progress and the possibility of the continuous development of this research.