Pretreatment of pectic wastewater from orange canning process by an alkalophilic Bacillus sp.

Abstract An alkalophilic bacteria that secretes endo -pectate lyase was isolated from soil in Thailand and identified as a Bacillus sp. The strain, designated as GIR 621, was applied to the pretreatment for more effective activated-sludge treatment of pectic wastewater from orange-canning factories. The bacterial pretreatment decreased the uronic acid of the wastewater by 91%, when supplemented with Polypepton, yeast extract, soybean powder, phosphorus and potassium (pH 10.0) for 36 h. The strain did not grow on simple synthetic media or under nonalkaline conditions, so the use of the potential phytopathogen should not involve biohazards.