Biodegradation of aniline from hypersaline environments using halophilic microorganisms

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11247925-B2
Application number	US-201816476909-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2018
Priority date	Jan 10, 2017
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for reducing the aniline content of hypersaline wastewater, said method comprising the steps of (a) providing a composition A comprising hypersaline wastewater and aniline, and (b) contacting composition A with cells of at least one halophilic microbial strain, thereby generating a composition B comprising said composition A and cells of said at least one halophilic microbial strain. The present invention further concerns a method for the production of chlorine and sodium hydroxide. Further encompassed by the present invention is a composition comprising hypersaline wastewater, aniline, and cells of at least one halophilic microbial strain.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for reducing the aniline content of a composition comprising hypersaline wastewater, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a composition A comprising hypersaline wastewater and aniline, and
(b) contacting composition A with cells of at least one halophilic microbial strain, selected from Halomonas alimentaria cells and/or Haloferax sp. D1227 cells, thereby generating a composition B comprising said composition A and cells of said at least one halophilic microbial strain, wherein said composition B comprises NaCl in a concentration of more than 6% (w/v), and
(c) incubating composition B, thereby reducing the aniline content of the composition.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said composition B comprises NaCl in a concentration of at least 8% (w/v).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said composition B comprises NaCl in a concentration of a least 10% (w/v).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aniline content of the composition B comprises at least 0.5 mg/l aniline.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step (a) comprises isolating the hypersaline wastewater from methylene diamine production.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said composition B further comprises a substrate that allows for the growth of the cells of at the least one halophilic microbial strain.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the incubation in step (c) is carried out at temperature of 18° C. to 45° C. and/or wherein the incubation in step (c) is carried out at a pH value in the range of 5.8 to 8.5.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said incubation in step (c) is carried out under aerobic conditions.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein composition B further comprises formate.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said method further comprises the separation of the cells of the at least one halophilic microbial strain from composition B, thereby giving composition C, and optionally wherein the method further comprises concentrating composition C, thereby giving composition C.

11. A method for the production of chlorine and sodium hydroxide, comprising the steps of
(i) providing a composition C or C* according to the method of claim 10 , and
(ii) subjecting the composition according to (a) to a sodium chloride electrolysis process, thereby producing chlorine and sodium hydroxide.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the sodium chloride electrolysis is selected from membrane cell electrolysis of sodium chloride.

13. A composition B comprising hypersaline wastewater, aniline, and cells of at least one halophilic microbial strain, selected from Halomonas alimentaria cells and/or Haloferax sp. D1227 cells, wherein said composition B comprises NaCl in a concentration of more than 6% (w/v).

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein said composition B comprises NaCl in a concentration of a least 12% (w/v).

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the aniline content of the composition B comprises at least 5 mg/l aniline.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein said composition B further comprises a substrate that allows for the growth of the cells of at the least one halophilic microbial strain, wherein the substrate is a carbohydrate.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein said composition B further comprises a substrate that allows for the growth of the cells of at the least one halophilic microbial strain, wherein the substrate is selected from the group consisting of glycerol, acetate, glucose, sucrose, lactate, malate, succinate, and citrate.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the sodium chloride electrolysis is membrane electrolysis using oxygen consuming electrodes, diaphragm cell electrolysis of sodium chloride and mercury cell electrolysis of sodium chloride.

Assignees

• Covestro Deutschland Ag

Inventors

• Heckroth Heike
• Herwig Christoph
• Kamravamanesh Donya

Classifications

• C02F2103/08

  Seawater, e.g. for desalination · CPC title

• C02F2103/36

  from the manufacture of organic compounds · CPC title

• C02F2101/38

  containing nitrogen · CPC title

• C02F2305/06

  Nutrients for stimulating the growth of microorganisms · CPC title

• C12N1/20 Primary

  Bacteria; Culture media therefor · CPC title