Ibrahim M Banat
University of Ulster, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty Member
- Professor Ibrahim M. BANAT, Professor of Microbial Biotechnology at the University of Ulster, UK. Has >30 years’ expe... moreProfessor Ibrahim M. BANAT, Professor of Microbial Biotechnology at the University of Ulster, UK. Has >30 years’ experience in academic and research institutions in Europe and internationally and has several active collaborative project within the EU and other international academic and industrial establishments. Research interests include biosurfactant and bio-actives production and potential utilization in environmental oil pollution control and hydrocarbon polluted land bioremediation and microbial enhanced oil recovery. He also recently concentrating on investigating biomedical, pharmaceutical, health and cosmetics related applications of biosurfactants. Prof. Banat also has interest and worked on molecular and cell biology of thermophilic Geobacilli bacteria and bioethanol fermentation and the molecular biology of biosurfactant producers. To date (Jan 2019) he has > 250 publications (H-Index = 70) and >24200 citation according to google scholar seeedit
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Summary A heat treatment method to reduce nucleic acid content in cell biomass of a mixed methanol-utilizing bacterial culture was studied. Maximum nucleic acid reduction in the bacterial cells was achieved by using heat shock at 65°C for... more
Summary A heat treatment method to reduce nucleic acid content in cell biomass of a mixed methanol-utilizing bacterial culture was studied. Maximum nucleic acid reduction in the bacterial cells was achieved by using heat shock at 65°C for 5–10 min followed by 2 h incubation at 55°C and 7.2±0.2 pH. In this treatment, 81–85% nucleic acid content was removed from
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Two identical facultative ponds were operated in parallel under the same environmental conditions with the same sewage supply. While one pond was operated as control at fixed depth and constant sewage inflow, the hydraulic conditions for... more
Two identical facultative ponds were operated in parallel under the same environmental conditions with the same sewage supply. While one pond was operated as control at fixed depth and constant sewage inflow, the hydraulic conditions for the other pond were varied. It was observed that the BOD and COD removals in the control pond varied almost linearly with areal loading at all times. On the other hand, BOD and COD removals exhibited distinctly different patterns in the variable pond.
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Abstract Integrated pond systems consisting of facultative and high-rate ponds operating in series can produce an effluent low in dissolved organic material, nutrients, and hazardous bacteria. However, the effluent is rich in algae, and... more
Abstract Integrated pond systems consisting of facultative and high-rate ponds operating in series can produce an effluent low in dissolved organic material, nutrients, and hazardous bacteria. However, the effluent is rich in algae, and cannot meet stringent water-quality criteria on suspended solids. The algae, therefore, must be removed before final discharge or reuse of the effluent. This study reports on the efficiency of slow sand filtration in removing algae from high-rate pond effluents. When agricultural sandy soil with an effective grain size of 0.08 mm was used as the filter medium, an average filtration rate of about 1.3 m 3 /m 2 .d was obtained. If filtration was preceded by sedimentation, the duration of a filtration run was about 100 h. At the end of each run, the filter was cleaned by scraping off the top few centimeters of the filter bed. The filtered effluent consistently had a biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) value less than 20 mg/L and undetectable fecal coliforms. The filter media, being rich in organic matter and having moisture-retaining properties, can be used as a soil conditioner.
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Research Interests: Chemistry, Medicine, Multidisciplinary, Adsorption, Micelle, and 15 moreMicelles, Light, Rhamnolipid, Isis, Neutrons, Anions, Surface Tension, Surface Properties, Glycolipids, Surface Active Agents, Statistical models, Langmuir, Small Angle Neutron Scattering, Lamellar Structure, and Pulmonary Surfactant
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Geobacillus bacteria show high potential as biocatalysts suitable for industrial biotechnology applications. The ability of these bacteria to produce a variety of extracellular enzymes, such as amylases, xylanases, proteases, lipases,... more
Geobacillus bacteria show high potential as biocatalysts suitable for industrial biotechnology applications. The ability of these bacteria to produce a variety of extracellular enzymes, such as amylases, xylanases, proteases, lipases, esterases and ureases has ranked them among the most important enzyme producers [1; 2]. Lipases are serine hydrolases that catalyse a wide range of bioconversion reactions: hydrolysis, transesterification and/or ester synthesis. Esters derived from these reactions are used in biofuel production or included in composition of cosmetics/perfumery. Thermostable and thermoactive lipolytic enzymes have gained remarkable importance over other industrially used biocatalysts due to their versatility regarding catalytic behavior. The main advantages of performing industrial processes at higher temperatures are reduced risk of microbial contamination and lower viscosity [1]. Therefore, it is important to characterize novel lipases/esterases and investigate the possibility to perform ester synthesis using such novel enzymes.
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Biologically produced polymers and that ex situ synthesized from biogenic precursors have captured the attention of researchers and industrialists due to their diversity, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and renewability. They find... more
Biologically produced polymers and that ex situ synthesized from biogenic precursors have captured the attention of researchers and industrialists due to their diversity, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and renewability. They find diverse applications in enormous fields of science and technology including packaging, foods, textiles, water treatment, cosmetics, sensing, and microelectronics. The chemistry of surfaces is a window for originating new properties and opportunities. Based on their surface affinity, bioplastics may be either hydrophobic or hydrophilic which directs their potential applications. Their surface chemistry may be tailored by imparting desirable functionalities for improving their physicomechanical properties. This can be achieved through different physical, chemical, and biological approaches. Such bioplastics with improved hydrophilicity are desirable in the fields of medical science, nanotechnology, sensing, and so forth. The objective of the present chapter is to present recent developments in tuning the surface properties of bioplastics using different approaches for biomedical applications.
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Research Interests: Chemistry, Bioremediation, Medicine, Pubmed, Bacteria, and 3 moreRhamnolipid, Emulsion, and Indigenous
A pilot plant was constructed to investigate the use of algal-bacterial systems to treat municipal wastewaters in arid regions. The pilot plant consists of sand and oil traps, weir tanks, two facultative ponds (250 m 3 holding capacity... more
A pilot plant was constructed to investigate the use of algal-bacterial systems to treat municipal wastewaters in arid regions. The pilot plant consists of sand and oil traps, weir tanks, two facultative ponds (250 m 3 holding capacity each), two high-rate ponds (25 m 3 holding capacity each), four sedimentation tanks, a sludge digestor, and such auxiliary facilities as a pumping station for wastewater supply, drainage systems, and a site laboratory. The main objectives of the study are to determine the design parameters needed for large-scale algal-bacterial ponds in hot climates and to determine the degree of treatment and disinfection attained in the system by operating the pilot plant. After the algae is separated from the treated water, the final effluent will be used for irrigation, and algae will be used as a soil conditioner. Investigations during start-up, test runs and experiments completed so far focused on the growth of algae and removal of biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, and suspended solids. During the 20-month experimental program, various operating patterns, including series operation of facultative and high-rate ponds, will be investigated. Results obtained so far indicate significant reductions in pollution concentrations.
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Abstract: High molecular weight biosurfactants are produced from a number of differentbacteria and comprise lipoproteins, proteins, polysaccharides, lipopolysaccharides or com-plexes containing several of these structural types, many of... more
Abstract: High molecular weight biosurfactants are produced from a number of differentbacteria and comprise lipoproteins, proteins, polysaccharides, lipopolysaccharides or com-plexes containing several of these structural types, many of which have yet to be fullycharacterized. Lipopeptide biosurfactants are cyclic compounds and are most commonlyisolated from Bacillus and Pseudomonas strains. A great deal of research has been carried outon these cyclic lipopeptides and their structures have been fully characterized. The ability toisolate, purify and characterize these structures is extremely important, providing detailedinformation with regard to different cultivation condition and biological activities. Similarmethods can be used for both lipopeptides and biopolymers especially when attempting todeterminetheiraminoacidsequences.Theexperimentaltechniquesusedtoisolate,purifyandanalyses these biosurfactant are widely varied from simple colorimetric assays giving anapproximate indication of the type of compounds present to the more complex mass spectro-metric techniques that provide information on molecular mass and structural features. Massspectrometry provides essential information in the identification of these structures usingsophisticated MS/MS experiments and software technologies. The use of Edman degradationcan help confirm the results observed from de novo sequencing experiments, thus providingfurther confirmation of amino acid sequence of both lipopeptides and protein containingbiopolymers.Thispaperdetailsinformationonthemostcommonly reportedtechniquesusedto analyze these types of biosurfactants.
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... Research Institutes and Groups: Biomedical Sciences Research Institute Biomedical Sciences Research Institute > Infection and Immunity/Microbiology. ID Code: 19010. Deposited By: Dr Poonam Singh - Nee Nigam. Deposited... more
... Research Institutes and Groups: Biomedical Sciences Research Institute Biomedical Sciences Research Institute > Infection and Immunity/Microbiology. ID Code: 19010. Deposited By: Dr Poonam Singh - Nee Nigam. Deposited On: 25 Jul 2011 15:54. ...
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... Banat , IM, Singh - Nee Nigam, Poonam, Singh, D, McHale, AP and Marchant , R (1998) Ethanol production using thermotolerant/thermophilic yeast strains: potential future exploitation. In: Advances in Biotechnology. ... Deposited By: Dr... more
... Banat , IM, Singh - Nee Nigam, Poonam, Singh, D, McHale, AP and Marchant , R (1998) Ethanol production using thermotolerant/thermophilic yeast strains: potential future exploitation. In: Advances in Biotechnology. ... Deposited By: Dr Poonam Singh - Nee Nigam. ...
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The nutritional requirements and growth characteristics of a biosurfactant-producingRhodococcus bacterium isolated from Kuwaiti soil were determined. Maximum cell yields (6.6 g/l) and biosurfactant production were achieved with a medium... more
The nutritional requirements and growth characteristics of a biosurfactant-producingRhodococcus bacterium isolated from Kuwaiti soil were determined. Maximum cell yields (6.6 g/l) and biosurfactant production were achieved with a medium containing 2% (v/v)n-paraffin as a carbon and energy source, 0.2% lactose broth, optimal concentrations of nitrogen (nitrate), phosphorus, iron, magnesium and sodium sources, and minimal concentrations of potassium and trace element sources. The optimal pH was 6.8 for surfactant production and optimal temperature was 37°C. The biosurfactant produced after 16 to 33 h growth in a 7 I fermenter decreased both surface tension and interfacial tension of culture broth to below 27 and 1.8 mN/m, respectively, and was effective at critical micelle dilutions of 10(-3). Data on biosurfactant biosynthesis suggest that the product is produced as a primary metabolite and, therefore, could be produced effectively under continuous fermentation conditions.
Research Interests: Chemistry, Technology, Food Science, Medicine, Biological Sciences, and 15 morePhosphorus, Magnesium, Bacteria, Nitrogen, Iron, Potassium, Interfacial Tension, Fermentation, Surface Tension, Trace element, Lactose, Industrial Fermentation, Energy Source, Pulmonary Surfactant, and Critical Micelle Concentration
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Research Interests: Chemistry, Food Science, Biomass, Biosorption, Water Purification, and 15 moreEnvironmental Monitoring, Medicine, Multidisciplinary, Ireland, Humans, Northern Ireland, Temperature, Textile industry, Yeast, Fresh water, Industrial Waste, Environment, Naphthalenesulfonates, Kluyveromyces, and coloring agents
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Wound healing refers to the complex process of restoring the forms and functions of damaged tissues. Multiple growth factors and released cytokines tightly regulate the wound site. Healing processes can be disrupted by any alteration that... more
Wound healing refers to the complex process of restoring the forms and functions of damaged tissues. Multiple growth factors and released cytokines tightly regulate the wound site. Healing processes can be disrupted by any alteration that would aggravate the damage and lengthen the repair process. Some of the conditions that may impair wound healing include infections and inflammation. Surfactants are amphiphilic compounds widely used in various formulations including detergents, food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Biosurfactants, therefore, are surface-active compounds produced by biological agents, particularly yeast or bacteria, and represent a safer and environmentally preferred alternative to chemical surfactants. Numerous studies have targeted surface-active molecules as wound healing agents for their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial potential. This review focuses on surface-active molecules used in wound healing activities and analyses their effectiveness and mechanisms of action.
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Biosurfactants (BS) are amphiphilic molecules produced as a secondary metabolite by various bacteria and yeast species and are secreted extracellularly. BS have shown to work in synergy with antibiotics and also demonstrate strong... more
Biosurfactants (BS) are amphiphilic molecules produced as a secondary metabolite by various bacteria and yeast species and are secreted extracellularly. BS have shown to work in synergy with antibiotics and also demonstrate strong antimicrobial and anti-adhesive characteristics. This coupled with their low toxicity makes them suitable candidates as combination therapies to combat skin infections. In this study, the aim was to investigate the in-vitro antimicrobial and anti-biofilm properties of mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs) produced by Moesziomyces aphidis against Staphylococcus aureus DSM-20231, Streptococcus pyogenes ATCC-19615, Staphylococcus epidermidis DSM – 28319, Pseudomonas aeruginosa DSM-3227, Escherichia coli ATCC – 25 922 and Propionibacerium acnes DSM- 1897. MELs are most predominantly used in skin creams, thus, a rationale was developed to investigate antibiotics used to treat bacterial skin infections, namely, Polymyxin B Sulphate, Neomycin, Mupirocin and Bacitracin. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values where determined for each antibiotic and BS per bacterium using the broth dilution technique based on CLSI guidelines. BS where extracted by solvent extraction and characterised using Mass Spectrometry – High Performance Liquid Chromatography, standards were quality assured using MALDI-TOF. Flow cytometry determined percentage dead versus alive for each antibiotic, BS and combination of antibiotic and BS. Scanning Electron Microscopy determined the effect of the BS on the bacterial cell walls. This study proves that BS work synergistically with antibiotics to increase the MIC of the antibiotics resulting in a substantial decrease in antibiotic use and at lower concentration. The use of BS combination therapy has the potential to reduce resistant rates and also lengthen the time taken for resistance to develop.
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A series of experiments was carried out to investigate the efficacy of the competitive exclusion technique in the control of Salmonella in broiler chicks. Anaerobic overnight culture obtained using 10(-3) g ml-1 caecal material in... more
A series of experiments was carried out to investigate the efficacy of the competitive exclusion technique in the control of Salmonella in broiler chicks. Anaerobic overnight culture obtained using 10(-3) g ml-1 caecal material in VL-broth medium provided total exclusion of a moderate S. enteritidis challenge (1.2 x 10(2) cells/chick). Increasing the challenge level resulted in less protection, but significant protection occurred at an excessive S. enteritidis challenge level of 1.5 x 10(6) cells/chick. The effectiveness of protection using both moderate and excessive challenges was monitored in newly hatched chicks until they were 22 days old. An improvement in growth performance in terms of higher body weight, feed consumption and feed conversion, in addition to lower mortality, was observed. The use of other control measures such as antimicrobial feed additives or lactose sugar (1.5% w/v) in the drinking water in combination with the competitive microflora treatment resulted in a better overall protection and performance.
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A thermotolerant methylotrophicBacillus sp. (KISRI TM1A, NCIMB 40040), isolated from the Kuwaiti environment and belonging to the group II spore-forming, bacilli, could not be correlated with any knownBacillus sp. It may, therefore, be a... more
A thermotolerant methylotrophicBacillus sp. (KISRI TM1A, NCIMB 40040), isolated from the Kuwaiti environment and belonging to the group II spore-forming, bacilli, could not be correlated with any knownBacillus sp. It may, therefore, be a new species. It grew at temperatures from 37° to 58°C from pH 6.5 to 9.0 and on methanol up to 40 g l(-1). It grew well in a chemostat. Its biomass yield coefficient was improved by about 30% by optimization of medium and growth conditions, reaching a maximum of 0.44g g(-1) at 45°C pH 6.8 to 7.0, dilution rate 0.25 h(-1) with methanol at 10 g l(-1). Average crude protein and amino acid content were 84% and 60%, respectively, and maximum productivity attained under laboratory conditions was 5.06 g l(-1)h(-1). It was concluded that this strain has good potential for use in single-cell protein production.
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Biosurfactants are structurally diverse group of bioactive molecules produced by a variety of microorganisms. They are secondary metabolites that accumulate at interfaces, reduce surface tension and form micellar aggregates. This research... more
Biosurfactants are structurally diverse group of
bioactive molecules produced by a variety of
microorganisms. They are secondary metabolites
that accumulate at interfaces, reduce surface tension
and form micellar aggregates. This research
topic describes few novel microbial strains with
a focus on increasing our understanding of
genetics, physiology, regulation of biosurfactant
production and their commercial potentials. A
major stumbling block in the commercialization
of biosurfactants is their high cost of production.
Many factors play a significant role in making the
process cost-effective and the most important
one being the use of low-cost substrates such as
agricultural residues for the production of biosurfactants.
With the stringent government regulations
coming into effect in favor of production
and usage of the bio-based surfactants, many new
companies aim to commercialize technologies
used for the production of biosurfactants and
to bring down costs.
This Research Topic covers a compilation of original research articles, reviews and research
commentary submitted by researchers enthusiastically working in the field of biosurfactants
and highlights recent advances in our knowledge of the biosurfactants and understanding of the
biochemical and molecular mechanisms involved in their production, scale-up and industrial
applications. Apart from their diverse applications in the field of bioremediation, enhanced oil
recovery, cosmetic, food and medical industries, biosurfactants can also boast off their unique
eco-friendly nature to attract consumers and give the chemical surfactants a tough competition
in the global market.
This biosurfactant focused research topic aims to summarize the current achievements and
explore the direction of development for the future generation of biosurfactants and bioemulsi-
fiers. Some of the biosurfactant optimization processes presented are well-structured and already
have a well-established research community. We wish to stimulate on-going discussions at the
level of the biosurfactant production including common challenges in the process development,
novel organisms and new feedstock and technologies for maximum benefit, key features of next
generation biosurfactants and bioemulsifiers. We have compiled the research outputs of international
leaders in the filed of biosurfactant particularly on the development of a state-of-the-art
and highly-efficient process platform.
bioactive molecules produced by a variety of
microorganisms. They are secondary metabolites
that accumulate at interfaces, reduce surface tension
and form micellar aggregates. This research
topic describes few novel microbial strains with
a focus on increasing our understanding of
genetics, physiology, regulation of biosurfactant
production and their commercial potentials. A
major stumbling block in the commercialization
of biosurfactants is their high cost of production.
Many factors play a significant role in making the
process cost-effective and the most important
one being the use of low-cost substrates such as
agricultural residues for the production of biosurfactants.
With the stringent government regulations
coming into effect in favor of production
and usage of the bio-based surfactants, many new
companies aim to commercialize technologies
used for the production of biosurfactants and
to bring down costs.
This Research Topic covers a compilation of original research articles, reviews and research
commentary submitted by researchers enthusiastically working in the field of biosurfactants
and highlights recent advances in our knowledge of the biosurfactants and understanding of the
biochemical and molecular mechanisms involved in their production, scale-up and industrial
applications. Apart from their diverse applications in the field of bioremediation, enhanced oil
recovery, cosmetic, food and medical industries, biosurfactants can also boast off their unique
eco-friendly nature to attract consumers and give the chemical surfactants a tough competition
in the global market.
This biosurfactant focused research topic aims to summarize the current achievements and
explore the direction of development for the future generation of biosurfactants and bioemulsi-
fiers. Some of the biosurfactant optimization processes presented are well-structured and already
have a well-established research community. We wish to stimulate on-going discussions at the
level of the biosurfactant production including common challenges in the process development,
novel organisms and new feedstock and technologies for maximum benefit, key features of next
generation biosurfactants and bioemulsifiers. We have compiled the research outputs of international
leaders in the filed of biosurfactant particularly on the development of a state-of-the-art
and highly-efficient process platform.