The word "bacterium" is often associated with illness, but in effect human life would not exist without this microorganism. Over 3 billion years ago, these organisms were the first to carry out oxygenic photosynthesis. In this conversion process, molecular oxygen is created as a waste product. Large production of oxygen ultimately led to the conversion of atmosphere devoid of oxygen to oxygen-rich atmosphere, which made life on Earth possible.
Microorganisms against Global Warming
Greenhouse gases and global warming pose the greatest challenge to man and nature in the coming decades. To this end, researchers at the University of Duisburg-Essen are investigating the unique life form of thermophilic cyanobacteria in the field of aquatic biotechnology. In different types of photobioreactors, microorganisms that utilize light to create their own energy are grown in this artificial environment. Suitable organisms are essentially required for these photobioreactors.
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Figure 1. Cultivation of different accumulations and isolates from various parts of the world.
Figure 1 shows the cultivation of different accumulations and isolates from different parts of the world. The project is focusing on the search and characterization of these organisms. The microorganisms must be appropriate for a pilot plant, which is run with seawater and situated in a desert environment. Apart from photosynthesis, microorganisms must be able to survive in extreme heat and in seawater, and consequently thermophilic cyanobacteria were selected for this project. The optimum temperature of the bacteria, also known as "blue-green algae", lies between 40°C - 75°C.
High Temperature Accuracy
Constant light and temperature conditions are very important when researching cyanobacteria. As a result, the research team at the University of Duisburg-Essen opted to utilize a BINDER climate chamber of the KBW series that has daylight lamps and a 20-liter storage capacity.
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Figure 2. Growth experiments with thermophilic and thermo-halophilic cultures.
The most vital features of the climate chamber are high temperature precision and uniform light distribution all through the usable space. This is specifically important when working with phototrophic thermophilic microorganisms (Figure 2). Besides cultivating the reference stock of thermophilic cyanobacteria, many growth experiments were performed.
Uniform Climate Conditions
The experiments were performed by means of selected cultures under different luminous intensity, exposure cycles, and temperature conditions. In addition to the uniform climate conditions on all samples, the researchers also appreciated the fact that reproducible results were ensured through chamber preheating technology.
Inga Vanessa Kirstein, lead project scientist at the University of Duisburg-Essen, explained that in aquatic biotechnology, processes must be constant and reproducible. This means, experiments are performed in multiple determinations on one hand and can be repeated on the other. Within a set of experiments, it is very important that the parameters are steady and this is completely possible with BINDER chambers.
Advantages of Climate Chambers
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Figure 3. KBW 720 climate chamber with illumination.
BINDER climate chambers (Figure 3) offer the following benefits:
- Climate chambers with daylight illumination
- Uniform light distribution
- Uniform climate conditions throughout all specimens
- Natural growth conditions
- Light and temperature in a single unit
- Constant and gentle circulation of air via large-surface side walls
- Two variable positioned illumination cassettes with five daylight illumination tubes, each, in steps switchable
- Flexible positioning and fully removable illumination cassettes
- Reliable testing independent of ambient conditions
BINDER climate chambers can be used in plant and insect growth, clinics and university hospitals, cosmetics Industry, and packaging Industry.
Characterization of Bacteria
Since the early 1980s, the research group focused on topics such as biogenic concrete, biological leaching, and metal corrosion. The focus is primarily on the microbiology of the sulfur, iron and manganese cycles, which comprise moderate and extreme acidophilic sulfur and iron compound-oxidizing species, for example the genera Leptospirillum and Acidithiobacillus.
The focus of the Aquatic Biotechnology researchers presently includes studies on bioflotation and surface colonization of sulfide minerals, biocorrosion on steel structures, and physiological work in characterizing relevant bacterial strains. Researchers are also studying the development of sealing systems for water transport pipelines with special focus on microbial colonization and degradability.
Conclusion
BINDER climate chamber achieves uniform light distribution with its natural illumination and creates constant lighting and temperature conditions. The unit also ensures steady and gentle circulation of air via large-surface side walls even under a full load. Other features such as minimum space requirements, easy assembly, large chamber interior volume, and easy cleaning make the climate chamber suitable for studying the origins of cyanobacteria.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by BINDER GmbH.
For more information on this source, please visit BINDER GmbH.