Ebtesam El-Bestawy - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Ebtesam El-Bestawy
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India, Section B: biological sciences/Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India, Section B : biological sciences, Jun 15, 2024
Research Square (Research Square), Apr 22, 2024
The degradation of water quality poses a significant challenge to the utilization of freshwater r... more The degradation of water quality poses a significant challenge to the utilization of freshwater resources for human activities, which threatening agricultural productivity and the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. The quality of irrigation water is greatly affecting both crop health and production. Hence, there is a must to enhance understanding of the quality of irrigation water. The aim of this assessment is to determine the suitability and compatibility of water sourced from 13 borehole ground wells located at the northeast coast of Alexandria, Egypt, Abu Qir district, with emphasis on the ability of usage for irrigation purposes. The research areas comprise the combination of urban, including residential complexes and academic campuses, alongside agricultural activity. A total of 52 groundwater samples were collected throughout the four seasons of winter, spring, summer, and autumn in the year 2022, with the objective of determining how they fit for agricultural use. Results revealed that the tested groundwater from the selected wells lied in the moderate to poor water quality for irrigation based on SAR, SSP, RSC, KR, PI, CAI, PS, MH, TDS, and TH indices. Therefore, using such groundwater for irrigation in the specified research area poses real dangers for crop health and agricultural productivity unless receive appropriate treatment.
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, May 1, 2023
The study aimed to optimize the treatment of oil refinery-contaminated wastewater through modific... more The study aimed to optimize the treatment of oil refinery-contaminated wastewater through modification of the wellestablished activated sludge process with new nanocomposite (NC) materials to produce high-quality treated effluents for potential reuse. Refinery wastewater samples were collected from one of the major oil refineries, Alexandria, Egypt, where the operation, performance, and efficiency of the current activated sludge (AS) unit were evaluated for 6 consecutive months. Two AS bench scale PVC basins were constructed. Magnetite nanoparticles (Fe 3 O 4 NPs) and magnetite silica (Fe 3 O 4 /silica) nanocomposite (NC) were prepared and characterized. Bioremediation trials were carried out in a sequential batch mode using Fe 3 O 4 /silica NC-modified AS and control (unmodified AS). The proposed treatment produced high-quality effluents in a very short time (2 h) despite the very high initial pollutant concentration accompanied with a reduction in the produced sludge.
The Journal of Applied Sciences Research, 2010
Water and sediment samples were collected seasonally from nine stations along Alexandria coasts t... more Water and sediment samples were collected seasonally from nine stations along Alexandria coasts to determine the distribution of the bacterial groups which were able to produce antimicrobial agents and studying the correlations between their counts and the prevailing physico-chemical factors. Winter exhibited the highest total viable count in water and sediments while autum recorded the lowest counts. The counts of bioactive compounds producing bacteria exhibited different distribution pattern and these bacterial groups spread mainly during Spring. El-Shatby harboured the highest total viable count, but Abu-Qir had the lowest counts. All bacterial isolates were tested for their activity spectra against different pathogens (S.aureus, S.faecalis, P. aeruginosa, M.luteus, E. coli and C.albicans). Only 34 strains showed antimicrobial activity. Numerical taxonomy was represented in clustering of these strains. Gram positive clustered at 90% similarity level into 3 phena and included Enterococcus sp., Arthrobacter sp., Micrococcus sp., Corynebacterium sp., and Bacillus sp. Gram negative clustered at 94% and identified as Flavobacterium sp., Moraxella sp., Acinetobacter sp.
Journal of King Saud University - Science, Aug 1, 2023
Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy, Jun 1, 2023
This study aims to investigate bacteria for biodegradation of oil pollutants from oily industrial... more This study aims to investigate bacteria for biodegradation of oil pollutants from oily industrial wastewater to be used as bioremediation tools and to determine the characterization of Bioremediation Bioassays. A screening bioassay was carried out using six exogenous environmental bacterial strains to degrade oily pollution, which indicated promising clearance of the oily wastewater. Two strains, namely Enterobacter cloacae 279 − 56 (R4) and Pseudomonas otitis MCC10330 (R19), could successfully eliminate oil content and reasonable removal of the organic load. Results showed that the two promising bacterial candidates (R4 and R19) were selected according to the preliminary screening of the six tested bacteria considered the most efficient for all the tested parameters. The highest Removal Efficiency (Removal Efficiency resulted in Residual levels of total dissolved solids (TDS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and Oil content in the treated oily wastewa...
Journal of Bioremediation & Biodegradation, 2014
In a previous study by the authors, toxicity screening of Atrazine-resistant soil bacteria from d... more In a previous study by the authors, toxicity screening of Atrazine-resistant soil bacteria from different contaminated soils resulted in 23-soil isolate best grown in the presence of herbicide Atrazine. They were identified according to their 16S rDNA sequencing into Enterobacter (E. cloacae), Bacillus (B. cereus and B. anthracis), Pseudomonas (P. aeruginosa, P. balearica, P. indica and P. otitidis), Ochrobactrum (O. intermedium) and Providencia (P. vermicola). The 23 resistant isolates were enriched in nutrient broth medium amended with 2 folds the recommended dose (RD) of Atrazine. The enrichment technique resulted in the selection of seven bacterial species belong to 4 genera (Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, Bacillus and Providencia) that were superior in their resistance to Atrazine and exhibited remarkable growth stimulation (70.7-88.7%). These four acclimatized and highly Atrazine-resistant strains have been selected and efficiently used for the degradation of Atrazine-contaminated soil. They were employed in different proposed bioremediation technologies including biostimulation (addition of nutrients to enhance the growth and activity of the indigenous microorganisms), bioaugmentation (seeding the most promising indigenous and exogenous Atrazine degraders to accelerate and help the indigenous bacterial population to achieve high and fast remediation of the contaminated soil) and finally a combination of biostimulation and bioaugmentation technologies to investigate the synergistic or suppressive effects of the two techniques. Results proved that bioaugmentation coupled with biostimulation is the most promising bioremediation technology since it is powerful, economical and environmentally friendly technique for decontamination of Atrazine-contaminated soils.
Journal of Bioremediation & Biodegradation, 2016
Isolation and selection of potent degradative microorganisms against naturally persistent compoun... more Isolation and selection of potent degradative microorganisms against naturally persistent compounds considered as a powerful means for environmental detoxification. In the present study, the natural biotic capacity of water to degrade a mixture of four chlorinated hydrocarbons; DDT (1,1,1,-trichloro-2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl) ethane); DDE (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl) ethane); Lindane (1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexane (γ-HCH); Endrin
Scientific Reports
This study aims to investigate bacteria for biodegradation of oil pollutants from oily industrial... more This study aims to investigate bacteria for biodegradation of oil pollutants from oily industrial wastewater to be used as bioremediation tools and to determine the characterization of bioremediation bioassays. A screening bioassay was carried out using six exogenous environmental bacterial strains to degrade oily pollution, which indicated promising clearance of the oily wastewater. Two strains, namely Enterobacter cloacae 279-56 (R4) and Pseudomonas otitis MCC10330 (R19), could successfully eliminate oil content and reasonable removal of the organic load. Results showed that the two promising bacterial candidates (R4 and R19) were selected according to the preliminary screening of the six tested bacteria considered the most efficient for all the tested parameters. The highest Removal Efficiency (Removal Efficiency resulted in Residual levels of total dissolved solids (TDS), biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, and Oil content in the treated oily wastewater effluents ...
International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 2016
The present study aimed to investigate and optimize the promising antagonistic activity of the ex... more The present study aimed to investigate and optimize the promising antagonistic activity of the exogenous Enterococcus faecium S29 (EU 158188) isolated from the heavily polluted coastal waters of Alexandria, Egypt. Statistical designs, mutations and immobilization were used as optimization procedures. Cells grown in Luria-Bertani and/or UV-treated medium showed optimum activity compared to those grown under basal conditions or ethidium bromide treatment as well as wild-type variants. Immobilization decreased the antagonistic activity of E. faecium compared to their free cells. Ethyl acetate extract (12 organic compounds) exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity and was dominated by phenol (52.11%) and 1, 2 Benzenedicarboxylic acid, diisooctyl ester (29.44%) with molecular weights 94 and 390.28, respectively. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) fractionation of the bioactive compounds showed two spots with RF: 0.32 and 0.61 with the latter exhibits a broad spectrum of antagonistic activity against six reference pathogens {Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538), Streptococcus faecalis (ATCC 8043), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 8739), Escherichia coli (ATCC 8739), Micrococcus luteus (ATCC 10240) and Candida albicans}. The yellow gelatinous purified compound was characterized by an aromatic odor; k max = 0.629 at 210 nm and IR spectrum [IR (K Br): 1750 ester].
Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy
Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 2017
Egypt is an agricultural country because the yields of many agricultural crops in Egypt are among... more Egypt is an agricultural country because the yields of many agricultural crops in Egypt are among the highest in the world, although the total area of arable land is only 3.3 million hectares [1]. Hence, a substantial amount of agricultural wastes (AWs) is generated and has become a major environmental problem faced by rural areas in Egypt; meanwhile, it may become a source of clean energy and organic fertilizers, but the current utilization of those AWs is inefficient. An amount of 18% is used as fertilizer, another 30% as animal fodder, and the remainder (52%) are unused wastes that are burnt directly in fields or in low-efficiency burners as ways of management and/or disposal causing loss of organic matter and also pollution problems [2], and consequently lead to unfavourable health outcomes and the spread of infectious diseases [3], in addition to greenhouse gas emissions that increase global warming [4]. Because AWs have high organic matter, they are amenable to bioconversion techniques such as composting, which is one of the best-known recycling processes through which organic wastes produce
The main objective of the present study was to investigate arsenate [As (V)] resistance genes in ... more The main objective of the present study was to investigate arsenate [As (V)] resistance genes in rice cultivars grown in arsenic contaminated Egyptian soil in order to genetically induce resistance against arsenic in the local rice varieties as well as defining contaminated rice grains and/or soil. Three local rice cultivars; Sakha 102-104 were cultivated on modified Murashige and Skoog Basal Medium (MS medium) containing elevated concentrations of arsenate (0.1, 1 and 10 mg/l). The three varieties showed different resistant attitudes against arsenate with Sakha 104 being the most resistant. Extracted messenger RNA (mRNA) from treated and untreated Sakha 104 plantlets was scanned using differential display to demonstrate the arsenate resistant genes using three different arbitrary primers. About 100 different RNAs with (1500 bp - 50 bp) were obtained from which seven were up-regulated genes, subjected to DNA cloning using TOPO TA system and the selected clones were sequenced. The se...
Journal of Microbial & Biochemical Technology, Sep 11, 2015
Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences. G, Microbiology, Sep 4, 2022
DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT, 2021
Heavy metals are among the most frequently identified pollutants in aquatic environments. Either ... more Heavy metals are among the most frequently identified pollutants in aquatic environments. Either essential or nonessential, many heavy metals are reported to be toxic at high concentrations and have a direct influence on various physiological and biochemical processes such as reduction in growth, photosynthesis and chlorophyll content or inhibition of enzyme activities. Growth inhibition and/or stimulation, protein synthesis, ultra-structure changes of the six cyanobacterial species were investigated under the effects of 3 elevated concentrations of the five selected heavy metals. The selected cyanobacteria exhibited different orders of resistance against the tested metals which is mainly attributed to the type of the metal and its specific toxicity. Results also showed that toxicity of the tested metals on the growth of the selected cyanobacteria (chlorophyll a, carbohydrates and protein synthesis) was dependent absolutely on species and metal concentration up to the tested levels....
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India, Section B: biological sciences/Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India, Section B : biological sciences, Jun 15, 2024
Research Square (Research Square), Apr 22, 2024
The degradation of water quality poses a significant challenge to the utilization of freshwater r... more The degradation of water quality poses a significant challenge to the utilization of freshwater resources for human activities, which threatening agricultural productivity and the functioning of aquatic ecosystems. The quality of irrigation water is greatly affecting both crop health and production. Hence, there is a must to enhance understanding of the quality of irrigation water. The aim of this assessment is to determine the suitability and compatibility of water sourced from 13 borehole ground wells located at the northeast coast of Alexandria, Egypt, Abu Qir district, with emphasis on the ability of usage for irrigation purposes. The research areas comprise the combination of urban, including residential complexes and academic campuses, alongside agricultural activity. A total of 52 groundwater samples were collected throughout the four seasons of winter, spring, summer, and autumn in the year 2022, with the objective of determining how they fit for agricultural use. Results revealed that the tested groundwater from the selected wells lied in the moderate to poor water quality for irrigation based on SAR, SSP, RSC, KR, PI, CAI, PS, MH, TDS, and TH indices. Therefore, using such groundwater for irrigation in the specified research area poses real dangers for crop health and agricultural productivity unless receive appropriate treatment.
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, May 1, 2023
The study aimed to optimize the treatment of oil refinery-contaminated wastewater through modific... more The study aimed to optimize the treatment of oil refinery-contaminated wastewater through modification of the wellestablished activated sludge process with new nanocomposite (NC) materials to produce high-quality treated effluents for potential reuse. Refinery wastewater samples were collected from one of the major oil refineries, Alexandria, Egypt, where the operation, performance, and efficiency of the current activated sludge (AS) unit were evaluated for 6 consecutive months. Two AS bench scale PVC basins were constructed. Magnetite nanoparticles (Fe 3 O 4 NPs) and magnetite silica (Fe 3 O 4 /silica) nanocomposite (NC) were prepared and characterized. Bioremediation trials were carried out in a sequential batch mode using Fe 3 O 4 /silica NC-modified AS and control (unmodified AS). The proposed treatment produced high-quality effluents in a very short time (2 h) despite the very high initial pollutant concentration accompanied with a reduction in the produced sludge.
The Journal of Applied Sciences Research, 2010
Water and sediment samples were collected seasonally from nine stations along Alexandria coasts t... more Water and sediment samples were collected seasonally from nine stations along Alexandria coasts to determine the distribution of the bacterial groups which were able to produce antimicrobial agents and studying the correlations between their counts and the prevailing physico-chemical factors. Winter exhibited the highest total viable count in water and sediments while autum recorded the lowest counts. The counts of bioactive compounds producing bacteria exhibited different distribution pattern and these bacterial groups spread mainly during Spring. El-Shatby harboured the highest total viable count, but Abu-Qir had the lowest counts. All bacterial isolates were tested for their activity spectra against different pathogens (S.aureus, S.faecalis, P. aeruginosa, M.luteus, E. coli and C.albicans). Only 34 strains showed antimicrobial activity. Numerical taxonomy was represented in clustering of these strains. Gram positive clustered at 90% similarity level into 3 phena and included Enterococcus sp., Arthrobacter sp., Micrococcus sp., Corynebacterium sp., and Bacillus sp. Gram negative clustered at 94% and identified as Flavobacterium sp., Moraxella sp., Acinetobacter sp.
Journal of King Saud University - Science, Aug 1, 2023
Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy, Jun 1, 2023
This study aims to investigate bacteria for biodegradation of oil pollutants from oily industrial... more This study aims to investigate bacteria for biodegradation of oil pollutants from oily industrial wastewater to be used as bioremediation tools and to determine the characterization of Bioremediation Bioassays. A screening bioassay was carried out using six exogenous environmental bacterial strains to degrade oily pollution, which indicated promising clearance of the oily wastewater. Two strains, namely Enterobacter cloacae 279 − 56 (R4) and Pseudomonas otitis MCC10330 (R19), could successfully eliminate oil content and reasonable removal of the organic load. Results showed that the two promising bacterial candidates (R4 and R19) were selected according to the preliminary screening of the six tested bacteria considered the most efficient for all the tested parameters. The highest Removal Efficiency (Removal Efficiency resulted in Residual levels of total dissolved solids (TDS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and Oil content in the treated oily wastewa...
Journal of Bioremediation & Biodegradation, 2014
In a previous study by the authors, toxicity screening of Atrazine-resistant soil bacteria from d... more In a previous study by the authors, toxicity screening of Atrazine-resistant soil bacteria from different contaminated soils resulted in 23-soil isolate best grown in the presence of herbicide Atrazine. They were identified according to their 16S rDNA sequencing into Enterobacter (E. cloacae), Bacillus (B. cereus and B. anthracis), Pseudomonas (P. aeruginosa, P. balearica, P. indica and P. otitidis), Ochrobactrum (O. intermedium) and Providencia (P. vermicola). The 23 resistant isolates were enriched in nutrient broth medium amended with 2 folds the recommended dose (RD) of Atrazine. The enrichment technique resulted in the selection of seven bacterial species belong to 4 genera (Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, Bacillus and Providencia) that were superior in their resistance to Atrazine and exhibited remarkable growth stimulation (70.7-88.7%). These four acclimatized and highly Atrazine-resistant strains have been selected and efficiently used for the degradation of Atrazine-contaminated soil. They were employed in different proposed bioremediation technologies including biostimulation (addition of nutrients to enhance the growth and activity of the indigenous microorganisms), bioaugmentation (seeding the most promising indigenous and exogenous Atrazine degraders to accelerate and help the indigenous bacterial population to achieve high and fast remediation of the contaminated soil) and finally a combination of biostimulation and bioaugmentation technologies to investigate the synergistic or suppressive effects of the two techniques. Results proved that bioaugmentation coupled with biostimulation is the most promising bioremediation technology since it is powerful, economical and environmentally friendly technique for decontamination of Atrazine-contaminated soils.
Journal of Bioremediation & Biodegradation, 2016
Isolation and selection of potent degradative microorganisms against naturally persistent compoun... more Isolation and selection of potent degradative microorganisms against naturally persistent compounds considered as a powerful means for environmental detoxification. In the present study, the natural biotic capacity of water to degrade a mixture of four chlorinated hydrocarbons; DDT (1,1,1,-trichloro-2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl) ethane); DDE (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl) ethane); Lindane (1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexane (γ-HCH); Endrin
Scientific Reports
This study aims to investigate bacteria for biodegradation of oil pollutants from oily industrial... more This study aims to investigate bacteria for biodegradation of oil pollutants from oily industrial wastewater to be used as bioremediation tools and to determine the characterization of bioremediation bioassays. A screening bioassay was carried out using six exogenous environmental bacterial strains to degrade oily pollution, which indicated promising clearance of the oily wastewater. Two strains, namely Enterobacter cloacae 279-56 (R4) and Pseudomonas otitis MCC10330 (R19), could successfully eliminate oil content and reasonable removal of the organic load. Results showed that the two promising bacterial candidates (R4 and R19) were selected according to the preliminary screening of the six tested bacteria considered the most efficient for all the tested parameters. The highest Removal Efficiency (Removal Efficiency resulted in Residual levels of total dissolved solids (TDS), biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, and Oil content in the treated oily wastewater effluents ...
International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 2016
The present study aimed to investigate and optimize the promising antagonistic activity of the ex... more The present study aimed to investigate and optimize the promising antagonistic activity of the exogenous Enterococcus faecium S29 (EU 158188) isolated from the heavily polluted coastal waters of Alexandria, Egypt. Statistical designs, mutations and immobilization were used as optimization procedures. Cells grown in Luria-Bertani and/or UV-treated medium showed optimum activity compared to those grown under basal conditions or ethidium bromide treatment as well as wild-type variants. Immobilization decreased the antagonistic activity of E. faecium compared to their free cells. Ethyl acetate extract (12 organic compounds) exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity and was dominated by phenol (52.11%) and 1, 2 Benzenedicarboxylic acid, diisooctyl ester (29.44%) with molecular weights 94 and 390.28, respectively. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) fractionation of the bioactive compounds showed two spots with RF: 0.32 and 0.61 with the latter exhibits a broad spectrum of antagonistic activity against six reference pathogens {Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538), Streptococcus faecalis (ATCC 8043), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 8739), Escherichia coli (ATCC 8739), Micrococcus luteus (ATCC 10240) and Candida albicans}. The yellow gelatinous purified compound was characterized by an aromatic odor; k max = 0.629 at 210 nm and IR spectrum [IR (K Br): 1750 ester].
Sustainable Chemistry and Pharmacy
Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 2017
Egypt is an agricultural country because the yields of many agricultural crops in Egypt are among... more Egypt is an agricultural country because the yields of many agricultural crops in Egypt are among the highest in the world, although the total area of arable land is only 3.3 million hectares [1]. Hence, a substantial amount of agricultural wastes (AWs) is generated and has become a major environmental problem faced by rural areas in Egypt; meanwhile, it may become a source of clean energy and organic fertilizers, but the current utilization of those AWs is inefficient. An amount of 18% is used as fertilizer, another 30% as animal fodder, and the remainder (52%) are unused wastes that are burnt directly in fields or in low-efficiency burners as ways of management and/or disposal causing loss of organic matter and also pollution problems [2], and consequently lead to unfavourable health outcomes and the spread of infectious diseases [3], in addition to greenhouse gas emissions that increase global warming [4]. Because AWs have high organic matter, they are amenable to bioconversion techniques such as composting, which is one of the best-known recycling processes through which organic wastes produce
The main objective of the present study was to investigate arsenate [As (V)] resistance genes in ... more The main objective of the present study was to investigate arsenate [As (V)] resistance genes in rice cultivars grown in arsenic contaminated Egyptian soil in order to genetically induce resistance against arsenic in the local rice varieties as well as defining contaminated rice grains and/or soil. Three local rice cultivars; Sakha 102-104 were cultivated on modified Murashige and Skoog Basal Medium (MS medium) containing elevated concentrations of arsenate (0.1, 1 and 10 mg/l). The three varieties showed different resistant attitudes against arsenate with Sakha 104 being the most resistant. Extracted messenger RNA (mRNA) from treated and untreated Sakha 104 plantlets was scanned using differential display to demonstrate the arsenate resistant genes using three different arbitrary primers. About 100 different RNAs with (1500 bp - 50 bp) were obtained from which seven were up-regulated genes, subjected to DNA cloning using TOPO TA system and the selected clones were sequenced. The se...
Journal of Microbial & Biochemical Technology, Sep 11, 2015
Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences. G, Microbiology, Sep 4, 2022
DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT, 2021
Heavy metals are among the most frequently identified pollutants in aquatic environments. Either ... more Heavy metals are among the most frequently identified pollutants in aquatic environments. Either essential or nonessential, many heavy metals are reported to be toxic at high concentrations and have a direct influence on various physiological and biochemical processes such as reduction in growth, photosynthesis and chlorophyll content or inhibition of enzyme activities. Growth inhibition and/or stimulation, protein synthesis, ultra-structure changes of the six cyanobacterial species were investigated under the effects of 3 elevated concentrations of the five selected heavy metals. The selected cyanobacteria exhibited different orders of resistance against the tested metals which is mainly attributed to the type of the metal and its specific toxicity. Results also showed that toxicity of the tested metals on the growth of the selected cyanobacteria (chlorophyll a, carbohydrates and protein synthesis) was dependent absolutely on species and metal concentration up to the tested levels....