Screening and characterization of bioflocculant produced by isolated Klebsiella sp.

Sixteen strains of polymer-producing bacteria were isolated from the activated sludge samples taken from two seafood processing plants in Southern Thailand. Their culture broths possessed the ability to flocculate kaolin suspension in the presence of 1% CaCl2. Based on the flocculating activity, the strain S11 was selected and identified to be a Klebsiella sp. using the partial 16S rRNA sequencing method. The growth of the isolated Klebsiella sp. was maximal (1.026 g l−1 dry cell mass) after 1 day cultivation while the highest polymer yield (0.973 g l−1) was achieved after 5 days cultivation. The flocculating activity of the culture broth, however, was highest after 2 days cultivation. The polymer was identified to be an acidic polysaccharide containing neutral sugar and uronic acid as its major and minor components, respectively. Results on the properties of the partially purified polysaccharide from Klebsiella sp. S11 revealed that it consisted of galactose, glucose and mannose in an approximate ratio of 5:2:1. It was soluble in acidic or basic solutions but not in organic solvents. Its molecular mass was greater than 2 × 106 Da. Infrared spectra showed the presence of hydroxyl, carboxyl and methoxyl groups in its molecules. Differential scanning calorimetry of the polysaccharide indicated the crystalline melting point (Tm) at 314 °C. The optimum dosage of polysaccharide to give the highest flocculating activity was 15 mg l−1 in the presence of 1% CaCl2.