BUSCADOR RECOLECTA

Incluye material complementario, Bacterial biofilms provide high cell density and a superior adaptation and protection from stress conditions compared to planktonic cultures, making them a very promising approach for bioremediation. Several Rhodococcus strains can desulfurize dibenzothiophene (DBT), a major sulphur pollutant in fuels, reducing air pollution from fuel combustion. Despite multiple efforts to increase Rhodococcus biodesulfurization activity, there is still an urgent need to develop better biocatalysts. Here, we implemented a new approach that consisted in promoting Rhodococcus erythropolis biofilm formation through the heterologous expression of a diguanylate cyclase that led to the synthesis of the biofilm trigger molecule cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP). R. erythropolis biofilm cells displayed a significantly increased DBT desulfurization activity when compared to their planktonic counterparts. The improved biocatalyst formed a biofilm both under batch and continuous flow conditions which turns it into a promising candidate for the development of an efficient bioreactor for the removal of sulphur heterocycles present in fossil fuels., This study was financially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities grants BIO2014‐53530‐R and BIO2017‐83035‐R (Agencia Española de Investigación/Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, European Union) to I. Lasa and C. Solano and grants BIO2016‐79736‐R, PCIN‐2014‐113 and PCI2019‐111833‐2 to E. Díaz. P. Dorado‐Morales was supported by a F.P.I. (BES‐2015‐072859) contract from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.