This study investigated the ability of rhodococci to biodegrade diclofenac (DCF), one of the polycyclic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) most frequently detected in the environment. Rhodococcus ruber strain IEGM 346 capable of complete DCF biodegradation (50 µg/L) over 6 days was selected. It is distinguished by the ability to degrade DCF at high (50 mg/L) concentrations unlike other known biodegraders. The DCF decomposition process was accelerated by adding glucose and due to short-term cell adaptation to 5 µg/L DCF. The most typical responses to DCF exposure observed were the changed ζ-potential of bacterial cells; increased cell hydrophobicity and total cell lipid content; multi-cellular conglomerates formed; and the changed surface-to-volume ratio. The obtained findings are considered as mechanisms of rhodococcal adaptation and hence their increased resistance to toxic effects of this pharmaceutical pollutant. The proposed pathways of bacterial DCF metabolisation were described. The data confirming the C-N bond cleavage and aromatic ring opening in the DCF structure were obtained.

This review discusses bioreactor-based methods for industrial hydrocarbon-containing wastewater treatment using different (e.g., stirred-tank, membrane, packed-bed and fluidized-bed) constructions. Aerobic, anaerobic and hybrid bioreactors are becoming increasingly popular in the field of oily wastewater treatment, while high concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons usually require physico-chemical pre-treatments. Most efficient bioreactor techniques employ immobilized cultures of hydrocarbon-oxidizing microorganisms, either defined consortia or mixed natural populations. Some advantages of fluidized-bed bioreactors over other types of reactors are shown, such as large biofilm–liquid interfacial area, high immobilized biomass concentration and improved mass transfer characteristics. Several limitations, including low nutrient content and the presence of heavy metals or toxicants, as well as fouling and contamination with nuisance microorganisms, can be overcome using effective inocula and advanced bioreactor designs. The examples of laboratory studies and few successful pilot/full-scale applications are given relating to the biotreatment of oilfield wastewater, fuel-contaminated water and refinery effluents.

The review is devoted to biocatalysts based on actinobacteria of the genus Rhodococcus, which are promising for environmental biotechnologies. In the review, biotechnological advantages of Rhodococcus bacteria are evaluated, approaches used to develop robust and efficient biocatalysts are discussed, and their relevant applications are given. We focus on Rhodococcus cell immobilization in detail (methods of immobilization, criteria for strains and carriers, and optimization of process parameters) as the most efficient approach for stabilizing biocatalysts. It is shown that advanced Rhodococcus biocatalysts with improved working characteristics, enhanced stress tolerance, high catalytic activities, human and environment friendly, and commercially viable are developed, which are suitable for wastewater treatment, bioremediation, and biofuel production.

Active pharmaceutical ingredients present a substantial risk when they reach the environment and drinking water sources. As a new type of dangerous pollutants with high chemical resistance and pronounced biological effects, they accumulate everywhere, often in significant concentrations (μg/L) in ecological environments, food chains, organs of farm animals and humans, and cause an intense response from the aquatic and soil microbiota. Rhodococcus spp. (Actinomycetia class), which occupy a dominant position in polluted ecosystems, stand out among other microorganisms with the greatest variety of degradable pollutants and participate in natural attenuation, are considered as active agents with high transforming and degrading impacts on pharmaceutical compounds. Many representatives of rhodococci are promising as unique sources of specific transforming enzymes, quorum quenching tools, natural products and novel antimicrobials, biosurfactants and nanostructures. The review presents the latest knowledge and current trends regarding the use of Rhodococcus spp. in the processes of pharmaceutical pollutants’ biodegradation, as well as in the fields of biocatalysis and biotechnology for the production of targeted pharmaceutical products. The current literature sources presented in the review can be helpful in future research programs aimed at promoting Rhodococcus spp. as potential biodegraders and biotransformers to control pharmaceutical pollution in the environment.

This study evaluated the effects of a trehalolipid biosurfactant produced by Rhodococcus ruber IEGM 231 on the bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on the surface of polystyrene microplates. The adhesion of Gram-positive (Arthrobacter simplex, Bacillus subtilis, Brevibacterium linens, Corynebacterium glutamicum, Micrococcus luteus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescencens) bacteria correlated differently with the cell hydrophobicity and surface charge. In particular, exponentially growing bacterial cells with increased hydrophobicities adhered stronger to polystyrene compared to more hydrophilic stationary phase cells. Also, a moderate correlation (0.56) was found between zeta potential and adhesion values of actively growing bacteria, suggesting that less negatively charged cells adhered stronger to polystyrene. Efficient biosurfactant concentrations (10–100 mg/L) were determined, which selectively inhibited (up to 76 %) the adhesion of tested bacterial cultures, however without inhibiting their growth. The biosurfactant was more active against growing bacteria rather than resting cells, thus showing high biofilm-preventing properties. Contact angle measurements revealed more hydrophilic surface of the biosurfactant-covered polystyrene compared to bare polystyrene, which allowed less adhesion of hydrophobic bacteria. Furthermore, surface free-energy calculations showed a decrease in the Wan der Waals (γLW) component and an increase in the acid-based (γAB) component caused by the biosurfactant coating of polysterene. However, our results suggested that the biosurfactant inhibited the adhesion of bacteria independently on their surface charges. AFM scanning revealed three-type biosurfactant structures (micelles, cord-like assemblies and large vesicles) formed on glass, depending on concentrations used, that could lead to diverse anti-adhesive effects against different bacterial species.

Under conditions of increasing environmental pollution, true saprophytes are capable of changing their survival strategies and demonstrating certain pathogenicity factors. Actinobacteria of the genus Rhodococcus, typical soil and aquatic biotope inhabitants, are characterized by high ecological plasticity and a wide range of oxidized organic substrates, including hydrocarbons and their derivatives. Their cell adaptations, such as the ability of adhering and colonizing surfaces, a complex life cycle, formation of resting cells and capsule-like structures, diauxotrophy, and a rigid cell wall, developed against the negative effects of anthropogenic pollutants are discussed and the risks of possible pathogenization of free-living saprotrophic Rhodococcus species are proposed. Due to universal adaptation features, Rhodococcus species are among the candidates, if further anthropogenic pressure increases, to move into the group of potentially pathogenic organisms with “unprofessional” parasitism, and to join an expanding list of infectious agents as facultative or occasional parasites.