1. Antibiotics and Deep Tank Fermenters
Alexander Flemming had mold (Penicillium notatum) grow on a petri dish of bacteria
He noticed that mold inhibited the growth of the bacteria
Today, we need large scale production of antibiotics (fermentation)
Fermenters (large tank) have
The right size, way to mix the microorganisms with substrates, probes to monitor optimum conditions, and ways to prevent contamination
Penicillium chrysogenum is put into the tank without glucose
When the mold is missing glucose (its energy source) it produces Penicillin as a secondary metabolite
When stressed, it produced penicillin to protect itself from other bacteria that may harm it

2. Antibiotics and Deep Tank Fermenters

3. Citric Acid
Citric Acid is a metabolite also produced by mold (Aspergillus niger)
Used as a food preservative and flavor enhancer
Continuous-batch fermentation is used (substrate added and product removed continuously)

4. Biogas Production One option for renewable energy
Uses prokaryotes and archaea (extremophiles discovered by Carl Woese)
Biogas is made of: methane, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide, water
4 stages of production- each stage requires specific microorganisms
The last stage, production of methane, requires an archaea species
No oxygen can be in the tank (bacteria used are anaerobic)

5. Biogas Production

6. Zone of Inhibition

7. Bioremediation
Bioremediation is the field that uses biological agents (mostly microbes) to clean up environmental problems
Bacteria can be used to break down pollutants that can harm the environmental or living organisms
Polluted water, oil spills, mercury pollution, benzene pollution

8. Example 1: Marinobacter and Benzene
Benzene can be released into the water during oil exploration
Benzene is a carcinogen and is very stable
Marinobacter is used because it can live in high salt environments
Salty water (brine) is also produced during oil exploration
Marinobacter breaks benzene down in carbon dioxide

9. Example 2: Pseudomonas and Oil
Physical and chemical clean ups of oil spills are not that effective
Oil can harm marine and terrestrial ecosystems
Pseudomonas can degrade oil is rhamnolipid is present
Works even better if glycerol is present
Glycerol is thought to give the Pseudomonas extra nutrients
58% of crude oil was degraded in one experiment done in 2005

10. Example 3: Pseudomonas and Mercury Pollution
Mercury is discarded from paint and light bulbs
Mercury can get into the soil and water and be dangerous to animals and humans
Mercury gets converted into methyl-mercury by Desulfovibrio desulfuricans
Methyl-mercury can attach to smaller fish, which are eaten by bigger fish
Humans then eat the bigger fish and digest the methyl-mercury
Pseudomonas converts methyl-mercury into elemental mercury which is harmless

11. Example 4: Bacteriophage and Water Treatment
Bacteriophages are viruses that infect and can kill bacteria
Bacteriophages are present in human waste products
They are easy to detect
They can be used as an indicator organism to determine if water in contaminated