Biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by pleurotus sajor-caju

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are considered priority pollutants because they have potentially dangerous effects on the environment and human health. Bioremediation has recently become attractive to restore polluted sites, because it is not expensive and fulfils the most important properties required by the current regulations. In this work the capability of a white-rot fungi, Pleurotus sajor-caju, was assessed for degradation of pyrene and chrysene. The main objective was to investigate the effects of pollutant concentration on the mycelium growth and find the conditions that can enhance the microorganism tolerance when exposed to pyrene and chrysene. The tests carried out in Petri dishes showed that chrysene inhibited mycelium growth, whereas pyrene was well tolerated. Experiments in liquid medium evidenced that the mycelium was able to degrade pyrene with a removal efficienty greater than 90%

Modelling and optimization of poly-aromatic-hydrocarbons biodegradation by Bulab 5738

In this work, the bacterial consortium Bulab 5738 was used to simultaneously remove pyrene, phenanthrene and catechol from aqueous solutions. The bacterial population growth was estimated by means of optical density measurements while HPLC was used to quantify the pollutant concentration in the solution. The obtained data were used to model the systems, in term of biomass population and substrate concentration. The effects of pollutant concentration values were analysed using the outputs of a full factorial experimental design

Detection of parameters enhancing the performance of white-rot fungi for degradation of Poly-Aromatic Hydrocarbons through design-of-experiment methodologies

The aim of this work is to evaluate the tolerance and the growth capabilities of a white rot fungus, the Pleurotus-Sajor Caju, when exposed to Poly-Aromatic Hydrocarbons. The research was carried out by using in vitro systems developed on Petri dishes, where microbial strains are exposed to chemical pollutants, in particular pyrene and chrysene along with addition of surfactants, peptone, copper sulphate and lecithin that may promote fungal growth and tolerance. It was found that the fungal population growth is strongly inhibited by chrysene presence. On the other hand the pyrene has a mild negative impact on the micelyal growth, which seems to be positively influenced by the presence of Tween 80 and copper sulphate

Pyrene and chrysene tolerance and biodegradation capability of pleurotus sajor-caju

Introduction: The present work focused on the biodegradation capability of a white-rot fungus, the Pleurotus sajor-caju, when exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Methods: The research was carried out by using in vitro systems developed on Petri dishes, to evaluate the fungal tolerance to pyrene and chrysene, followed by experiments in liquid medium. The first experimental campaign was necessary to evaluate the conditions promoting fungal growth and tolerance (presence of surfactants, peptone, copper sulphate and lecithin) and it was designed and analysed using statistical techniques. Results: It was found that the fungal population growth is strongly inhibited by chrysene presence. On the other hand, pyrene had a mild negative impact on the mycelia growth, which seemed to be positively influenced by the presence of Tween 80 and copper sulphate. Starting from these results, the behaviour of Pleurotus sajor-caju in presence of pyrene was investigated in liquid medium. Results showed that the depletion of pyrene was evident during a period of 20 days, and removal efficiency was greater than 90%