Purple bacteria and their less known applications

Purple bacteria and their less known applications Jungwoo Lee, High-School Student, and Arpita Bose, Associate Professor at Washington University in St. Louis, guide us through purple bacteria and their less-known applications, including wastewater treatment and biofertilization. Purple bacteria, also known as purple photosynthetic bacteria, which belong to the phylum Proteobacteria, can be classified into purple sulfur bacteria (PSB) and purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB). In contrast to PSB, PNSB demonstrate the ability to utilize various electron donors and acceptors, which further expands their applications. Their adaptable metabolism, coupled with well-defined genetic manipulation techniques, positions PNSB as ideal models for elucidating the intricacies of metabolic pathways, which hold significant implications for diverse biotechnological applications, including wastewater treatment, and as biofertilizers.