Waste disposal bacteria

1993/06/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ingurumena

This cleansing bacteria is found by biologists from Neuchatel, Switzerland, in the sediments of Loclat Lake. Bacillus schlegelii has been baptized simultaneously with the name of this autotrophic and sporadic bacteria. It is an autotroph because it is able to synthesize the substances necessary to live from the carbon gas of the environment, and spores, since when the external conditions are unfavorable it is supplied with a very resistant protective layer.

It is discovered as spore in a sample taken in the Swiss Alps and in the form of bacteria in the hot waters of Tuscany and Iceland. Heat is the favorite of the bacteria. When incubated at 65ºC with hydrogen, carbon dioxide and sulfur, its protective layer is abandoned and reproduces quickly. Therefore, Swiss researchers have considered that it can be used to obtain drugs in biotechnology. Working at high temperatures can ensure that other microorganisms do not contaminate. It can also be used to remove urban waste rich in hydrogen, sulfur and heat energy.