Abstract
Lipases are enzymes that have the potential to hydrolyze triacylglycerol to free fatty acids and glycerol and have various applications. The aim of the present study was to isolate and screen marine bacteria for lipase production, optimize the production, and treat wastewater. A total of 20 marine bacterial isolates were obtained from the Mediterranean Sea and were screened for lipase production. All isolates were found to have lipolytic ability. The differences between the isolates were studied using RAPD-PCR. The most promising lipase producer (isolate 3) that exhibited the highest lipolytic hydrolysis (20 mm) was identified as Bacillus cereus HSS using 16S rDNA analysis and had the accession number MF581790. Optimization of lipase production was carried out using the Plackett-Burman experimental design with cotton seed oil as the inducer under shaking conditions at 10°C. The most significant factors that affected lipase production were FeSO(4), KCl, and oil concentrations. By using the optimized culture conditions, the lipase activity increased by 1.8-fold compared with basal conditions. Immobilization by adsorption of cells on sponge and recycling raised lipase activity by 2.8-fold compared with free cells. The repeated reuse of the immobilized B. cereus HSS maintained reasonable lipase activity. A trial for the economic treatment of oily wastewater was carried out. Removal efficiencies of biological oxygen demand, total suspended solids, and oil and grease were 87.63, 90, and 94.7%, respectively, which is promising for future applications.