Marine psychroactive microorganisms capable of destructing oil at 4°C have been investigated. The biosurfactant activity and decrease in the oil hydrocarbons content using Cobetia marina S2 и Nocardia coeliaca S1 cultures were determined. Based on the obtained results, it is possible to classify the given strains as promising candidates for components of biopreparations aiming at utilization of oil pollutions in the Arctic area. The investigated cultures were preserved by lyophilization, their stability under those conditions was studied and protective characteristics of various media were compared. It was shown that sucrose in combination with dry skimmed milk is more effective in the protection of C. marina S2 and N. coeliaca S1 during lyophilization than three other investigated media. It was established that the shelf time of the bacteria preparations strongly depends on species; the predicted time of storage of the C. marina-containing preparation using the sucrose+dry skimmed milk medium was 5 months, whereas that for N. coeliaca was equal to at least 100 years. The contribution of the emulsification to the hydrocarbon degradation was also investigated, and a hypothesis of the significance of this process in the microbial utilization of oil contaminations was put forward.

Three hydrocarbon-oxidizing microbial communities, Nsk1, Nsk2 and Csha2, have been isolated from the oil-polluted harbor sites ofNorthern Regions. The study of the growth dynamics at the cultivation temperatures of4°Cand20°Cshowed their psychrotolerant nature. The efficiency of oil degradation at the low temperature for 10 to 20 days was more than 30% for Nsk1 and Nsk2 consortia and higher than 70% for the Csha2 consortium. The biosurfactant activity of Nsk1 was demonstrated to reach 65,9%. The microbial communities were shown to have the high survival index after lyophilization with the retention of the hydrocarbon-oxidizing and biosurfactant activities. The studied microbial consortia can be used in the creation of biopreparations for the bioremediation of oil pollution in the Northern seas and coastal areas.

The assessment of the influence of methane and carbon dioxide on the functioning of a hydrogenase electrode has been performed. It is suggested that this enzyme electrode will be used as a sensitive element of a hydrogen biosensor that can in the futu­re be applied to various research fields including microbiology. The electrode is supposed to work directly in a microorga­nism-containing culture broth; therefore, it is important to assess the effect of microbial metabolites on its functioning. It was shown that the studied gases fail to induce the currents of oxidati­on on the electrode, namely, they initiate neither positive respon­se from the enzymatic sensor nor the decrease in the current den­sity at the voltage enhancement from 20 mV to 200 mV. In other words, methane and carbon dioxide have no inhibiting effect on the enzymatic electrode functioning.

Abstract This work is dedicated to the search and analysis of the microbial communities able to perform quick and effective biodestruction of the aqueous oily wastes. We developed a method for estimation of efficiency of existing preparations and for qualitative evaluation of the degree of carbon compounds degradation. This method will be the basis of the technology of oily decontamination of water and forelands in the arctic conditions. The experiments wede done in the conditions very close to the arctic (on the White Sea Biological Station and in a laboratory setting. We have isolated several microbial communities that are able to perform the destruction oil carbohydrates. On the basis of these communities, we plan to create the preparations highly effective in the arctic conditions. Utilization of oily wastes in the low temperatures conditions is of great actuality when developing oil fields in the far north. In the moderate climate regions, oil residuals (after the physical and/or physic-chemical purification) are utilized by soil microorganisms or using several commercially available microbial preparations that accelerate the process. The active components of such preparations are usually carbohydrate-oxidizing microorganisms that are able to perform oil conversion into the bacterial biomass of organisms that, in turn, transfer the oily wastes into the safe components. These biopreparations are actively used after the physical and/or physic-chemical remediation. Microbial bioremedation allows effective utilization of residual oily wastes, if using of other methods is economically unadvizable, technically complicated and/or ecologically unsafe. At the same time, the end-product of microbial conversion of oily wastes is the biomass of carbohydrate-oxidizing bacteria which serves as a feed for the other organisms of this geobiocoenosis. The literature search has shown that nowadays many preparations are developed that are aimed to the control of the oily wastes. These preparations are masses of viable microorganisms-biodestructors and differ one from another by strains used for their creation. These strains are characterized by different physiological and biochemical properties, such as thermotolerance, osmophility, optimal pH, ability to utilize different classes of carbohydrates and n-alkanes in their metabolic processes. These properties of the strains- biodestructors determine the efficiency of their using in different climatic zones in order to control chemically different wastes. Generally, all existing preparations are intended for the destruction of the oily wastes of not only soil, but also fresh-water basins, areas of seas, factory runoffs and contaminated inner surfaces of process reservoirs and tanks.

The bioreactor cell combined a hydrogenase-based fuel electrodes and a microbial bioreactor was developed. It was shown that the enzyme electrodes are able to convert hydrogen produced by bacteria into electricity without any additional purification steps. Paper wastes were used as a carbon source. Maximum power output achieved was of 200 mu W/cm(2). Fuel cell remains at least 70% of the initial power during 72 h. The level of generated power is significantly higher than the reported for microbial fuel cells. The results demonstrate the possibility to generate power at a high rate with a variety of organic compounds used. Copyright (C) 2012, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The screening of microorganisms that are able to degrade cellulose-containing wastes and release hydrogen release was performed. The foundations of a technology for the removal and utilization of hydrogen were established. Classic microbiological techniques were used in the screening. The technology of polymer nonporous membranes was used to remove the hydrogen from the culture liquid. The obtained hydrogen was constantly oxidized with the formation of electricity, using the innovative technology of a fermentation electrode based on hydrogenase. In the course of our work, several highly productive biocenoses of microorganisms were selected; the possibility of raising the microbiological conversion of cellulose-containing wastes into electrical energy from 20 mM(H 2 )/(l h) to 68 mM(H 2 )/(l h) through the formation of hydrogen and the application of membrane technology was shown; and the possibility of using the fermentation fuel electrode for the oxidation of hydrogen was demonstrated. The maximum capacity was increased to 250 μW/sm 2 . It was shown that both technologies can be used to produce electrical energy and absolutely pure hydrogen.