Production of Clostridium bifermentans spores as inoculum for bioremediation of nitroaromatic contaminants

Abstract

Spores of Clostridium bifermentans KMR-1 were produced for use as o microbial inoculum for bioremediation and were preserved in both liquid and dry forms. All spore formulations showed good viability and ability to biodegrade the target compound, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), after 4 months of storage. For low-cost bulk spore production, several medium compositions, based on soy peptone, corn steep liquor, and meat peptone, were tested and yielded 107 spores per ml. A medium pH above 7.0, a low glucose concentration, and a sufficient concentration of protein favored the sporulation of C. bifermentans KMR-1.