In Vitro Remediation of Cu, Ni and Pb by Metallotolerant Fungi Isolated from Soil of Low Hills
摘要
Metallotolerant fungi isolated from heavy metal contaminated soil are not only able to tolerate toxic metals but also thrive in high heavy metal concentration environments. In the present study, the four metallotolerant fungi, namely Trichoderma asperellum, Penicillium camemberti, Aspergillus flavus, and Aspergillus niger, were isolated from contaminated soil in the lower hills of Himachal Pradesh. Under in vitro conditions these fungi were examined against copper, nickel, and lead at five different concentrations (0 ppm, 10 ppm, 20 ppm, 30 ppm, and 40 ppm) for a 120-h incubation period (5 days) for remediation. It was observed that T. asperellum and P. camemberti exhibited maximum radial growth rate (equal to control) at all concentrations of metals. A. niger and A. flavus exhibited good radial growth rates at all concentrations of Cu, Ni, and Pb. This was due to the high tolerance property of metallotolerant fungi able to store and metabolise metals. The result showed the mean biosorption of T. asperellum and P. camemberti for Cu was 144 mgg−1and 120 mgg−1, respectively. While the mean biosorption of T. asperellum and P. camemberti for Ni was 147 mgg−1 and 148 mgg−1. However, the mean biosorption of P. camemberti for Pb was 135 mgg−1, while for T. asperellum it was 129 mgg−1. The mean biosorption of A. flavus and A. niger for Cu, Ni, and Pb was 101 mgg−1, 111 mgg−1, and 100 mgg−1 and 113 mgg−1, 95 mgg−1, and 111 mgg−1, respectively. This indicates T. asperellum and P. camemberti have great remediation potential for Cu, Ni, and Pb, while A. niger and A. flavus exhibited good remediation capability for Cu, Ni, and Pb. Highlights.