Preparation of Encapsulated Microbial Cells for Environmental Applications

An improved method for the encapsulation of bacteria into microspheres of alginate, agarose, or polyurethane is described. Cell suspensions were passed through a low-pressure nozzle into an aqueous phase where matrix polymerization or gelation yielded beads 2 to 50 mum in diameter. Trials with a chlorophenol-degrading Flavobacterium species showed that cells entrapped by these procedures were as catabolically active as free cells. These types of beads should have numerous applications in the fields of environmental science and engineering.