Isolation and Selection of Fungi for Degrading Saturated Hydrocarbons, Aromatic Hydrocarbons and NSO Compounds

Abstract

Petroleum hydrocarbons are recalcitrant contaminants that have various impacts on the natural ecosystem. Microorganisms have been widely used in recent years to remove the hydrocarbons that are present in crude oil. The objective of this research was to isolate and select microorganisms that have the potential to degrade hydrocarbons present in mangrove sediments. In present study, we have isolated fungi from clean sediment contaminated with different fractions (i.e., saturated hydrocarbons, aromatic, and no hydrocarbon compounds (NSO)) of two types of oil. There were two types of oxidation tests were performed: one in multi well plates and the other in stirring and temperature control. Screening tests were conducted to detect the biodegradation of petroleum fractions with 72 fungal isolates over a period between 12 and 48 hours. With the two oxidation tests, the 2,6-dichlorophenol-indo phenol (DCPIP) indicator made it possible to select fungi with the potential to degrade the three main fractions of oil in the Reconcavo and Campos Basins. It was observed that the fungal isolates in the cleaned sediment were able to oxidize the three fractions of both types of oil. It was also concluded that some isolated strains oxidize oil faster and more efficiently than others. The formation of a consortium with the isolated consortium was a potential for the increase of the degradation of oil in the environment.