BIOREMEDIATION OF CHROMIUM BY ASPERGILLUS
FUMIGATUS
P. Kalyani1, K. Sunanda Kumari1, Ch. C. Sailaja Lakshmi2 and K.P.J. Hemalatha3*
1
Department of Microbiology, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam.
2
Advanced Analytical Laboratory, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam.
*3
Department of Biochemistry, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam.
ABSTRACT
Heavy metal pollution is nowadays one of the most important
environmental concerns. Anthropogenic activities like metalliferous
mining and smelting, agriculture, waste disposal or industry discharge
a variety of metals such as Ag, As, Au, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Pd,
Pt, Rd, Sn, Th, U and Zn, which can produce harmful effects on human
health when they are taken up in amounts that cannot be processed by
the organism. In this present study, Aspergillus fumigatus were
identified and inoculated with chromium to analyse the capability of
those microorganism in bioremediation. The results revealed that
chromium level decreased in culture media. It was also observed that Aspergillus fumigatus
removes the chromium at high rate.
KEYWORDS: Heavy metals, Bioremediation, Aspergillus fumigatus.
INTRODUCTION
Pollution is an undesirable change in the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of
environment. At the beginning of this century the order of civilization of a nation was being
measured by the per capita consumption of soap in the nation. It is tragic that at the close of
20th century, the order of civilization is measured by the amount of pollutants released into
the environment. Metals when present in our body are capable of causing serious health
problems, by interfering with our normal functions. Some of these metals are useful to the
body in low concentration like arsenic, copper, iron, nickel, etc. but are toxic at high
concentration (Suranjana et al., 2009).[1] According to ISI: Bureau of Indian standard (BIS)
the industrial effluent permissible level of Cr(VI) and Ni(II) in to inland water is 0.1 and
Volume 7, Issue 1, 823-828. Research Article ISSN 2277– 7105
*Corresponding Author
K.P.J. Hemalatha
Department of Biochemistry,
Andhra University,
Visakhapatnam. Article Received on 06 November 2017,
Revised on 27 Nov. 2017, Accepted on 18 Dec. 2017
DOI: 10.20959/wjpr20181-10503
3.0mg L-1, respectively.[2,3] Bioremediation is the process of using bacteria and other
biological enhancements under controlled conditions to control pollution (EI Fantroussi and
Agathos, 2005).[4] Physical and chemical methods have been proposed for the removal of
these pollutants. Nevertheless, they have some disadvantages, among them cost-effectiveness
limitations, generation of hazardous by-products or inefficiency when concentration of
polluted materials is below 100 mg l-1 (Gavrilescu, 2004; Wang and Chen, 2009).[5]
Biological methods solve these drawbacks since they are easy to operate, do not produce
secondary pollution and show higher efficiency at low metal concentrations (Chen et al.,
2005; De et al., 2008).[6] Microorganisms and plants are usually used for the removal of
heavy metals. Mechanisms by which microorganisms act on heavy metals include biosorption
(metal sorption to cell surface by physiochemical mechanisms), bioleaching (heavy metal
mobilization through the excretion of organic acids or methylation reactions),
biomineralization (heavy metal immobilization through the formation of insoluble sulfides or
polymeric complexes) intracellular accumulation and enzyme-catalyzed transformation
(redox reactions) (Lloyd, 2002).[7] Sabry et al., 1997,[8] Wasay et al., 1998,[9] Chande et al.,
2002[10], Park et al., 2004,[11] Ahmad et al., 2006[12] were studied works on bioremediation of
chromium metal . They have noticed that some microorganisms were resistant to chromium.
The majority of the tested strains were multiple metals resistant. The main aim of the work is
to removal of chromium by Aspergillus fumigatus.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Sample collection, Isolation and characterization
The marine soil sample were collected from Bay of Bengal, Kakinada, East godhavari. To
avoid contamination, collected soil samples were stored in pre-sterilized polythene bags and
used for the production of secondary metabolites from fungi. One gram of the soil was then
suspended in 100 ml sterillized water and incubated in an orbital shaking incubator at 28 °C
with periodic shaking at 200 rpm for 30min. Isolation of fungi from marine soil was done
using dilution plate technique in Potato dextrose agar medium. The fungi was identified
based on morphological characteristics.
Culture Maintenance
The Asperigillus fumigatus culture from potato dextrose broth was streaked on a Potato
dextrose agar slant and it was incubated at 27 oC for 72 hours. It was then sub cultured and
Removal of Chromium
Asperigillus fumigatus was inoculated in two flasks with 0.5 gm and 1.0 gm chromium
content separately and incubated the flasks in orbital shaker for 45 days. Day by Day
decreased chromium level measured at 550nm.
RESULTS
Isolation and identification of fungi
The fungal isolate were recovered and morphologically the fungal strains were sub cultured
and maintained for further analysis. The Microscopic and Cultural characteristics of the
isolates were observed & identified as Aspergillus fumigatus.
Fig. 1: A. fumigatus colony morphology on plate. Fig. 2: A. fumigatus colony
morphology on slant.
Morphological characterization of fungi
There are various methods for isolating the fungi, but the simplest one is dilution plate
method and the lifting of conidia from sporulating conidiophores. They were characterized
morphologically by lacto phenol cotton blue staining and scanning electron microscopic
analysis.
Removal of chromium
Table-19 Bioremediation of Chromium by Aspergillus fumigatus.
S. No Days of measurement Optical density at 550nm
0.5g 1g
1 5th 0.43 0.45
2 10th 0.39 0.42
3 15th 0.35 0.40
4 20th 0.32 0.38
5 25th 0.29 0.32
6 30th 0.25 0.29
7 35th 0.20 0.26
8 40th 0.18 0.22
9 45th 0.12 0.19
Fig. 4: Bioremediation of Chromium by Aspergillus fumigatus.
In fig-4-revealed that the bioremediation of Chromium by Aspergillus fumigatus was
inoculated in two flasks with 0.5 gm and 1.0 gm chromium content separately. The removal
of chromium was deduced from the decreasing optical density values at 550nm for the 45th
day of incubation.
DISCUSSION
Biosorption is an innovative technology aimed at the removal of toxic metals from polluted
streams by using inactive and dead biomasses. Metals entrapment is due to chemico-physical
interactions with active groups present on the cell wall: carboxylic, phosphate, sulfate, amino,
amide and hydroxyl groups are the most commonly found, according to the bio sorbent
nature.[13] Hexavalent chromium is readily immobilized in soils by adsorption, reduction and
for plant uptake. Biotechnological exploitation of biosorption technology for removal of
heavy metals depends on the efficiency of the regeneration of bio sorbent after metal
desorption. Therefore non-destructive recovery by mild and cheap desorbing agents is
desirable for regeneration of biomass for use in multiple cycles.[14] The efficiency of bio
sorption can be increased by different physical and chemical pretreatments of the microbial
biomass. In this present study, a chromium resistant bacterium was isolated from marine soil
in Potato dextrose agar medium. This was identified Aspergillus fumigatus using Lacto
phenol cotton blue staining and plating on Sabouraud’s Dextrose agar. The removal of
chromium was deduced from the decreasing optical density values at 550 nm for the 45th day
of incubation.
CONCLUSION
In this present study finally I will concluded that removal of chromium was investigated
using Asperigillus sps., The results revealed that chromium levels decreased in culture media
of Asperigillus niger removes the chromium at higher rate.
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