3649-08 IICB.indd - Faculty of Biological Sciences - University of ...

Jerry Knapp
BSc (Hull);
PhD (Wales);
Lecturer in Microbiology (1981–1997);
Senior Lecturer in Microbiology (1997–)
Contact: j.s.knapp@leeds.ac.uk
Environmental microbiology,
bioremediation and effluent treatment
My main interest is in how
microorganisms degrade environmental
pollutants, especially those produced
during the manufacture and use of
synthetic chemicals. The increasing use
of such organic chemicals has caused
many environmental problems. Microbes
have always had a role in ‘cleaning up’
our environment but their task in recent
years has been considerable because
the structures of many new, xenobiotic,
chemicals make them very difficult
to degrade.
I am interested in how microbes
develop the ability to degrade xenobiotic
chemicals, many of which bear little
resemblance to natural chemicals,
and the mechanisms by which these
chemicals are broken down. I have
researched the biodegradation of
structurally diverse compounds by
a range of microbes. Recently my
research has focused largely on the
biodegradation of benzothiazoles
(sulphur-containing aromatics used
in the rubber industry) by bacteria in
the genus Rhodococcus and on the
problems of pollution by coloured
effluents. Work on benzothiazoles
has used classical biochemical and
microbiological methods, together with
state-of-the-art analytical techniques,
genomics and proteomics.
Coloured effluents are commonly
produced during the manufacture and
use of dyes. Our research has included
the use of bacteria under anaerobic
conditions and of white rot fungi, e.g.
Coriolus versicolor. Research has
involved optimization of conditions
for degradation and studies of the
biochemical mechanisms by which
complex azo dyes are degraded. We have
developed a range of novel reactors and
demonstrated the robustness of white
rot fungi grown in such bioreactors for
prolonged periods.
Recently I have been involved in
research into the problems caused by
textile-dyeing effluents in Bangladesh.
This work has involved monitoring of
pollution problems and investigation of
effluent treatment processes used locally.
Many industrial effluents are of high and
variable salinity and I am also interested
in the biodegradation of industrial
effluents and xenobiotic chemicals under
highly saline conditions. Other interests
include the role of microbes in deposition
of minerals and the development and
use of novel disinfectants.
Funding for these projects has typically
come from industry but some has come
from DFID and the EU.
More information:
http://www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/staff/profile.
php?staff=JSK
Representative Publications
Akhtaruzzaman, M, Clemett, A, Knapp, J,
Mahmood, MA & Ahmed, S. (2005) Choosing
an Effluent Treatment Plant. Stockholm
Environment Institute, Stockholm and
Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies,
Dhaka
Knapp, JS & Bromley-Challenor, KA. (2003)
Recalcitrant organic chemicals. In Handbook
of Water and Wastewater Microbiology (eds
Mara, DD & Horan, NJ), pp. 501–536.
Academic Press, London
Haroune, N, Combourieu, B, Besse, P, et
al. (2002) Benzothiazole degradation by
Rhodococcus pyridinovorans strain PA:
evidence of a catechol 1,2-dioxygenase
activity. Applied and Environmental
Microbiology 68: 6114–6120
Knapp, JS, Vantoch-Wood, EJ & Zhang,
F. (2001) Use of wood-rotting fungi for
the decolourisation of dyes and industrial
effluents. In Fungi in Bioremediation (ed.
Gadd, GM), pp. 242–304. Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge