Meet FASHOLA MUIBAT OMOTOLA, an Academic Staff of Lagos State University.
Environmental Microbiology
Senior Lecturer
Microbiology
At the Microbiology department office
Appointment on Visitation important
Topic: Bioremoval Of Pollutants
Description: I am an Environmental Microbiologist and focus on bioremoval of pollutants from the environment. My research area includes bioremediation, microbial biotechnology, biodiversity of soil and plant-microbes interaction. My research involves assessment of microbes for their remediation potentials that can be harnessed in restoration of environments perturbed with organic and inorganic pollutants. Environmental pollution and food insecurity is fast becoming a global menace influencing every nook and corner of the earth. All types of life forms are in one way or the other affected by the impact of pollution and there is need to find suitable remediation approaches to this menace. Bioremediation has been recognized to be the best way to neutralize polluted environments. My research seeks to discern the various ways bacteria interact with pollutants in the environment, using culture dependent and independent approaches to assess the bioremediation potentials of the microorganisms. I am particularly fascinated by the metagenomic approach because it gives more insight into the microbial diversities present in various polluted sites including the underrepresented populations, functional genes as well as the metabolic pathways of the microbes that can be explored in bioremoval of pollutants in the environment. My current research attempts to determine the relationship between heavy metals and antibiotics resistance in various environmental compartments. My studies so far have been able to confirm the suitability of microbes in reducing bioavailability of organic and inorganic pollutants in the environment as well as predicting suitable bioremediation strategies for their removal. I have also been able to show the co-occurence of heavy metals and antibiotic resistance traits in bacteria isolated from soil and animal wastes.
| # | Certificate | School | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ph.D (Microbiology) | North West University, Mafikeng, South Africa | 2017 |
Effect of growth media on heavy metal tolerance in bacteria isolates from Owode-Onirin soil samples in Nigeria
Introduction: Heavy metals often form complex with the organic components of most growth media. Therefore, to study bacterial tolerance to heavy metals, it becomes necessary to employ growth media that would not readily react with the metals thus increasing the metal availability to the bacteria. Hence, this present study is focused on assessing different growth media used in studying heavy metal tolerance in bacteria vis elucidating the impact of heavy metals on biochemical traits of heavy-metal tolerant bacteria. Using standard cultural techniques, nine heavy metal cadmium, lead and nickel tolerant bacteria were isolated from soil sample collected from Owode-Onirin metal-laden steel market. The isolates were presumptively identified by their biochemical characteristics and further authenticated using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The isolates were then inoculated into three different growth media nutrient broth, low-phosphate broth and Luria-Bertani broth and observed for growth over 72 hours using a spectrophotometer. The physiological effect of the metals was also evaluated on selected isolates.All isolates recovered from the soil sample tolerated 3 mM of cadmium, lead and nickel. The isolates recorded least growth in the low phosphate broth compared to the other two media because it prevented complexation of the metals in the medium. The order of bacterial growth in the media is low phosphate broth nutrient broth Luria-Bertani broth. Also, increase in metal concentration resulted in loss of oxidase, catalase and pigmentation ability in some of the isolates.This study therefore recommends the use of minimal nutrient medium such as low phosphate broth in evaluating heavy metal tolerance in bacteria.
FASHOLA MUIBAT is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Microbiology
FASHOLA has a Ph.D in Microbiology from North West University, Mafikeng, South Africa
